The Youth Camp 2021 was 6 days long camp based on the influential theme of “Youth Dialogue and Action for Inclusive Society” organized by THE NATIVES in collaboration with Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, the Department of Social Anthropology with the support of the Directorate of Youth Affairs, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other sponsors due to which the Youth Camp could end on a positive note with its goals achieved.

Major goal was to induct youth from across the country and provide platform for exchange of ideas and create a sense of inclusive society along with its significance Thus, the selection of participants was free of discrimination. 82 participants from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Gilgit Baltistan and minorities warmly and charismatically participated and interacted at the camp which was seen as the first success of the event as an “Inclusive Camp”.

Partners of the Youth Camp 2021 and experts form variety of fields ensured positive and meaningful outcomes of the camp. In this regard, Directorate of Youth Affairs Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Peshawar, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Ombudsperson Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rozan Pakistan, Dosti Welfare organization, Theater Wallay, FES consultants are credited.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE YOUTH CAMP 2021, DIALOGUE AND ACTION FOR INCLIVE SOCIETY

INCLUSIVE CAMP:
The event was based on conducting such a camp based on inclusion and free of discrimination where all ideas could be welcomed, keeping in view the importance of inclusive society.
MOTIVATE:
The camp aimed at motivating the youth of the beloved state to become an empowered and knowledgeable citizen.
INSPIRE:
Youth camp planned activities to inspire the participants to prosper with dignity and responsible attitude towards the society and humanity.
SENSE OF TOLERANCE:
Participants were allowed to express their views. while the listeners were guided to hear each other with respect in order to create the sense of tolerance among the youth.
PERSEVERANCE:
One of the goals of the event was to motivate its young participants to adhere to dedication and persistence despite the hurdles they might face.
CREATE AWARENESS:
The activities and session at the event had the vital objective of creating awareness among the youth regarding numerous aspects of inclusive society and the social hazards.
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT:
The camp aimed at indulging its participants in the activities to develop and enhance their skills and personality.

All of the participants were a part of the camp with the sense of responsibility towards the mother nature and their fellows from other provinces and minorities of the country. Also the purpose of the camp was to develop such a thinking among its members so that they could reflect their learning to the society in a positive manner.

SESSION ON NUTRITION SENSITIVE AGRICULTURE:

Ms. Shazia Hina was the keynote speaker from Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and represented the Nutrition in Mountain Agroecosystems (NMA) project. Helvetas was having two sessions in the Youth camp. The first session on nutrition sensitive agriculture was administered by Ms Shazia Hina during which she explained the meaning of these two broad terms and that how both rely on each other. The session took into account the deficiencies created due the malnutrition and the role that can be played to cope with the matter via effective agriculture. Facts and figures were put forward before the participants to enlighten them regarding the issue of acute and chronic malnutrition. As solutions, innovative ideas were discussed through which the youth can grow healthy food at smaller scale and educate their families in this behalf. Ms. Shazia Hina was assisted by Dr. Muhammad Asad Salim who also highlighted the significance of agriculture and inculcated the concepts of agriculture and agricultural matters in the minds of the young listeners who took great interest in understanding the knowledgeable facts.

SESSION ON CLIMATE CHANGE:
The second session for Helvetas Pakistan was conducted by Dr. Muhammad Asad Salim on Climate Change and its implication of agriculture. Climate change is contemporarily one of the most highlighted and discussed issue on the globe. It is a subject taken in to account by the larger organizations of the world like the United Nations, THE NATIVES and the reputable speaker played their part to encourage a friendly attitude towards the nature. The session conducted by Dr. Asad was successful in regard that it not only brought to the table the matters of global warming, deforestation, and pressure on forestry and agriculture sectors, but also the young participants were able to put forward their creative ideas and plans that could be adopted to mitigate the hazards of climate change. The participants enjoyed the session on climate change with a bonfire arrangement, which was yet another effective way of making the learning fruitful for the participants at the camp. Discussion on mother nature in the chilly weather and the bonfire enhanced the purpose and intention of the session.

The youths play a vital role in the constructive process of building social cohesion, economic prosperity and political stability in a nation in an inclusive and democratic way. The involvement of youths in the nation building process is a must as they play one of the most important roles.

Shazday started off as a student project that could change the lives of thousands of small farming families in Gilgit Baltistan,

a region known for its abundant, healthy, natural and unusually tasty produce and of course most of the world’s tallest mountains

and epic jaw dropping landscapes.

Shazday now works hand in hand with hundreds of those farming families to ensure their quality produce makes its way in a safe

and healthy way into the hands of our conscious and responsible customers.

Their energy and passion comes from the positive change they are able to bring to our farming community.

Bringing the pride back in agriculture

Gilgit Baltistan is considered to be the birth place of the apricot tree, along with being home to some of the most novel produce

in the world. These foods are intertwined with the local culture, which is at risk of being trampled due to improved communication

and aggressive globalization.

We consciously work towards creating products from ingredients that are locally sourced, and helps sustain the agricultural practices

that exist since generations. Not only do we preserve the authentic Baltistani culture, but bring you some of the finest food on the planet.

New for the better

We are firm believers of doing things differently. We employ cutting edge technology, and stay at the forefront of innovation, both in terms

of our processes and in terms of our products. We think that advancement in technology can not only co-exist with nature but also nurture it.

Sustainability

Sure it’s a buzz word, sure everyone is writing it, but for Shazday, it’s a necessity. The reason why their products are so good is that they have

minimal external interference. Therefore, Shazday is intentional about maintaining mountain eco-systems and not allowing commercial

agriculture to bring its negative impact to the region. Shazday through the SUNSAI under NMA-II is working simultaneously on upgradation

of its processing facility. Last year they procured an industrial pulper and industrial Blender for their value added products. 

Shazday is working side by side with Agriculture department Skardu for improved tree management and post-harvest loss management.

With the help of Agriculture experts, Shazday is working on building a guide for farmers on prevention of pre and post harvest losses.

This guide will also cover pruning techniques, irrigation manual and nutritional values of the apricot. 

They are regularly upgrading their processing facility to ensure quality, consistent and hygienic products. Shazday has procured tons of

products to ensure timely supply in the market till next season. They hired a professional expert for its social media marketing and also investing

in R&D for value added products. Energy bars and Ball are developed using the raw materials (Dry fruits and Nuts) from these selected farmers.

The other value added products include apricot kernel butter, Jams and Fruit leather.

Shazday has established a number of sale-points in Skardu, Islamabad, and Lahore. They are currently in discussion with multiple vendors in major

cities across Pakistan for ensuring supplies of their products. Besides, their products are also available for online purchases through the following links

https://shazday.com/home

https://www.daraz.pk/products/sun-dried-apricots-250gm-i134301847-s1294691153.html?spm=a2a0e.searchlist.list.1.49dd5574rJtu9j&search=1

https://www.daraz.pk/products/roasted-apricot-kernels-250gm-i134304705-s1294693093.html?spm=a2a0e.searchlist.list.3.49dd5574rJtu9j&search=1

https://www.daraz.pk/products/walnut-kernels-250gm-i134306354-s1294686484.html?spm=a2a0e.searchlist.list.5.49dd5574rJtu9j&search=1

https://www.daraz.pk/products/dried-cherries-250gm-i201264827-s1399950592.html?spm=a2a0e.searchlist.list.7.49dd5574rJtu9j&search=1

https://www.daraz.pk/products/almond-kernels-250gm-i134308291-s1294690377.html?spm=a2a0e.searchlist.list.9.49dd5574rJtu9j&search=1

https://www.daraz.pk/products/black-raisins-250gm-i134302730-s1294692081.html?spm=a2a0e.searchlist.list.11.49dd5574rJtu9j&search=1

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly across the world, changing everyday life and significantly impacting healthcare systems. Different countries were sequentially affected by the pandemic situation, with a consequent confinement of the population during different periods. To fight this unexpected pandemic most of the healthcare systems have adapted their existing resources to try to meet the enormous need to test and track people with suspected infections and to provide care to patients with COVID-19.

Helvetas Pakistan had a very good experience with Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, where importance of Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture and balanced diet was promoted under on of the SUNSAI projects. Based on the same concept, the radio platform is being used to highlight the role of nutritious diet and how it can boost your immune system against COVID-19. A number of nutritionists, doctors, health practitioners, and agrarians have been involved in sensitizing the communities throughout the country. Key messages are recorded and broadcasted repeatedly on daily basis. These messages have received huge appreciation from the listeners.

Like many other countries, the global outbreak of COVID-19 poses an enormous challenge to health services in Pakistan. The polio eradication helpline “Sehat Tahaffuz 1166” has been converted into COVID-19 helpline. The Sehat Tahaffuz 1166 call centre is increasingly becoming an important platform to listen to the concerns of people, provide correct information, and connect them to a doctor when required.

We are planning on collaborating with the Sehat Tahaffuz centre in order to incorporate the same into their response to callers seeking advice on COVID-19.

The SUN CSN Asia Regional workshop & Budget Analysis Training was scheduled to be held from 18th-25th Sep 2019 in Siem Reap Cambodia. The focus of the workshop is supporting Civil Society Alliances from the Asia region to carry out effective advocacy for implementation of multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral nutrition plans through allocation of sufficient resources and functional accountability mechanisms.

Two of NMA staff Shazia Hina  and Gulzada Kudaiberdieva from @Pakistan  and @Krygyzstan  were selected on the basis sustain participation in advocacy interventions SUN secretariat of both the countries proposed their names to participate in Asia Regional workshop and represent their respective countries and CSAs.

This participation also contributes to NMA's objective of Global advocacy agenda on one hand and on the other hand the NMA message of Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture was also widely spread. Now both the staff members have a plan to take the message to the NMA group at the country level and sensitize them on the importance of advocacy.

SUNCSA has 164 INGOs, National and grass root level member organizations. It was an honor for Shazia Hina to got selected among 164 member organizations of SUNCSA Pakistan at the country level.

I presented SUNCSA Pakistan presentation on the first day as an introduction. On next day i presented a case study of Pakistan SUNCSA's assignment on Budget Analysis  and advocacy. Both the presentation were appreciated very much. Specially as we have budget analysis training too so this case study has been picked up.

NMA was promoted in the meeting by sharing published material from both the countries. MAAN was also promoted in discussions. Policy Gap Analysis was also highlighted in Pakistan Budget Analysis Presentation. As the workshop is continues so updates will be posted regularly. The link of the workshop is as follow

https://www.facebook.com/pg/SUNCSACambodia/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1562727200429697&ref=page_internal

1st day training session at Kharmang  Gomathang area

                                                              Introductory session 

Area for drying apricot at Gomathang

Recommendations by shazday team 

Trays for drying apricot

2nd day session 

instruction on maintaining Hygiene condition 

                                           practice 

                        Handling

Traditional way for drying

 3rd day and 4th day 

                          practice on Turkish method of drying                                                                                                     

Mian khan Abbasi, Sidra Gul are busy in their field activities of identifying RSPs and giving them technical support in various forms.

Today there is session on MAAN in the . We are learning how to use MAAN.