The Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) is the largest

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...

network in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

with an outreach to over 34 million

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

Pakistanis. It consists of a network of 12 Rural Support Programmes (RSPs). The RSP’s rely on a community driven model of

Communities A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place (geography), place, set of Norm (social), norms, culture, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Ide ...

are mobilised around their

need A need is a deficiency at a point of time and in a given context. Needs are distinguished from wants. In the case of a need, a deficiency causes a clear adverse outcome: a dysfunction or death. In other words, a need is something required for a ...

s and organised to stimulate more effective demand for services.

Philosophy and approach

The centre piece of the RSP approach is social mobilisation of the poor in order to enable them to participate directly in decisions that affect their lives and prospects. Communities are mobilised and asked to indicate their priorities through a process of dialogue, catalysed by the programmes. They are then encouraged to assume responsibility for implementing and maintaining the projects, reflecting their own priorities, with technical and financial support being extended by the programmes. The model upholds

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.causes of poverty. It also subverts the conventional model of social development, which assumed that either

central government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or deleg ...

or outside agencies would lift people out of

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

Role of RSPN

The RSPN is a strategic platform for the RSP's. It provides

capacity building Capacity building (or capacity development, capacity strengthening) is the improvement in an individual's or organization's facility (or capability) "to produce, perform or deploy". The terms capacity building and capacity development have often ...

support to them and assists them in policy advocacy and donor linkages. Although all the RSP’s are said to be federated under the Rural Support Programme Network. Each RSP is an autonomous

organization An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...

that develops programmes tailored to local needs, with each RSP having an independent

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

Network

The Rural Support Programmes Network is a network of 12 RSP namely # Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (1982) # Sarhad Rural Support Programme (1989) # Balochistan Rural Support Programme (1991) # National Rural Support Programme (1992) # Institute of Rural Management (1993) # Ghazi Barotha Taraqiati Idara (1995) # Lachi Poverty Reduction Programme (1997) # Tardeep Rural Development Programme (1997) # Punjab Rural Support Programme (1998) # Sindh Graduates Association (2001) # Sindh Rural Support Organisation (2003) # Azad Jammu and Kashmir Rural Support Programme (2005)

References

{{Reflist, colwidth=40em Non-profit organisations based in Pakistan Rural development in Pakistan Community-building organizations