DOST Annual Report AJ 4-24-15

DOST ANNUAL REPORT 2014

2014 ANNUAL REPORT

Development Organization for Societies in Transition (DOST)

1831 Belmont Rd, NW, Suite 401, Washington, D.C. 20009

Telephone: 202.705.9956

www.dostdevelopment.org

Who We Are

DOST is 20 year-old international development organization dedicated to

working with local and international partners to support self-directed

resilient communities while strengthening and respecting cultural, ethnic,

and religious identity in South and Central Asia. Founded to support rural

development in Northern Pakistan, DOST has demonstrated success in

education, civic participation, and economic development programming in

the most challenging and remote areas of the world.

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Mission, Vision, and Process

DOST’s mission is to support and expand resilient communities in the areas of education, civic

participation, and economic development.

DOST was founded in honor of Mohammad

Ibrahim, a local school teacher and education

pioneer at the turn of the 20th Century. The

Mohammad Ibrahim Memorial Society (MIMS)

was established in 1994 to continue his legacy

and Baltistan’s development. In an area where

formal education was uncommon, Ibrahim was

one of the first child advocates in the

region. MIMS was renamed DOST which means ‘friend’ in many local and regional

languages across the region. DOST schools are

named the Khatija Ibrahim School System in

remembrance of the family’s continuing legacy

as well as to honor the role women play as

drivers of development.

DOST programs are needs-based rather than mission-based. DOST adapts its mission to serve

the needs of local communities. DOST’s holistic approach results in cross-functional and

integrated programming which include the design, construction, and infrastructural needs,

operationalization through contextualized program development, and financial management of

endowed funds to assure continued program support.

From project inception, DOST uses a sustainability approach. Through vocational and enterprise

training at the DOST Women’s Vocational Center, support services such as school uniform

tailoring, allow the community to fill a local need through local capacity. Essentially, DOST

invests in people to eventually help themselves.

Confidence in local actors from the start of our projects is a DOST mainstay. Not one DOST

project transitions to the community, rather each project immediately addresses a current need, is

cost shared and implemented by local actors, and has a sustainability matrix build into each

program which makes each project locally initiated, run, and sustained.

Contents

Mission, Vision, and Process

Page 3 DOST at a Glance

Page 4 Letter from the Executive Director

Page 5 Global Outlook- Local Results

Page 5-6 Education- Educating Vulnerable Children

Page 6-7 Economic Development- Community Driven Sustainable Economies

Page 8-9 Civic Participation- Democracy and Governance

Page 9 Donors and Partners

Page 10 Leadership Team and Offices

http://www.dostdevelopment.org/

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Twenty-one year history

Just over $21M in funded projects

13 Pakistan-based projects

Offices: DOST- USA (Washington), DOST- Pakistan (Islamabad), DOST-Afghanistan Affiliate

Regional Office in Skardu

US-based staff - 3

Pakistan-based staff -125

6 Schools constructed and operating in Northern Pakistan

4 Micro-Hydro Projects in Northern Pakistan

Women Vocational Center

Women Expo Center

Maternal Child Health Center

Medical Dispensary

Emergency Flood Retainer Walls

Shigar River Bridge

DOST at a Glance


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Letter from the Executive Director

As we close out the year, the global commitment to improve the

well-being of the poorest and most vulnerable communities

around the world is stronger than ever. Global partnerships to

address gaps in education, civic participation and economic

development have made remarkable strides to create integrated,

multi-level and targeted responses. Yet, poverty, insecurity, and

limits on the abilities of civil society continue to hinder efforts

to support self-directed, resilient and sustainable communities.

In Pakistan, there is ever increasing focus from traditional as well as new partners to design and

implement programs which result in lasting improvement in human development. To meet this

challenge, DOST continues to evolve as it leverages twenty years of success, over $20M dollars

of funding, and 16 successfully-proven programs to expand programming reach across the nation

and region.

In 2014, DOST rose to the challenge of implementing its strategic vision which focuses on

deepening the sustainability of its programming in one of the most challenging and remote areas

of the world. Some of its accomplishments include the construction of a sixth school, the

completion and operation of its fourth micro-hydro project, the expansion of its economic

development programming, and the expansion of its civic engagement agenda in 2015.

The DOST strategic vision aims to build its strength by:

Program design and implementation practices that are consistent and well executed

within current program areas. Staff and volunteer development focus on ensuring that

methodology is well understood, articulated, and delivered to recipient communities.

Execution of ‘Proof of Concept’ pilots in expanded geography across South and Central

Asia. Programming has expanded from constrained project goals in targeted areas to

rigorous testing in new cultural, ethnic, and religious environments.

Increased engagement and visibility with local and international partners. The aim is to

bring new vigor to monitoring, oversight, and evaluation mechanisms to demonstrate

program impact and also to engage in early discussion with international partners to

inform and ensure program design is culturally appropriate.

Even as DOST actively engages communities and partners, the budget climate continues to

constrain its work. Despite this challenging environment, DOST continues to demonstrate its

relevance through sound programming and innovative partnerships. DOST is proud to continue

to serve its mission to work alongside local and international partners to support self-directed,

resilient and sustainable communities while, at the same time, strengthening and respecting

cultural, ethnic and religious identity in South and Central Asia.

John Pinna, Executive Director


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Global Overview

Thanks to support from local and international partners, DOST

strengthened and expanded Education, Civic Participation and

Economic Development programs by leveraging innovative

ideas, cross-sector cooperation and stringent accountability

standards to achieve robust milestones in 2014. DOST’s

effective partnerships serve to exemplify how multi-level

actors establish and reinforce the development of strong

institutions and democratic ideals by utilizing women’s

empowerment, access to education and civic participation

platforms within appropriate tribal, ethnic and religious

contexts in South and Central Asia. Some of DOST’s

outstanding results include impressive progress in the

following areas:

Education

DOST has built and successfully operated several primary

education schools in rural communities in the Northern Areas

of Pakistan. DOST commemorated the opening of its sixth

primary education school in March by enrolling one hundred

and fifty students from Nursery to Third grade in the Lagaf

Valley. Its model, with demonstrated success, is built on

establishing schools in underserved communities and then

working to integrate them into the state educational school

system.

The model includes initially demonstrating a sustained need to

government actors and then eventually facilitating the transfer

of administration to the state education system. Over four

hundred new students in Nursery to Grade Eight have access

to education as a result of our program. Supported by 54

teachers and staff, the schools are aligned with the Global

Partnership for Education’s strategic direction with

focus on learning outcomes and the education and

empowerment of girls in a fragile state. The

schools are also aligned with USAID’s Educational

Strategy to improve reading and writing and access

to primary education in conflict regions.

DOST schools serve multiple educational markets

in the region. Working closely with communities to

identify areas where no primary education access

exists, DOST operates tuition-free schools to bring

access to new student populations who would

otherwise go unserved. In other environments,

DOST schools provide high quality private education at costs which exceed local standards.

64

8574

52 52

90

5089

60

41 4560

0

20

40

60

80

100

School1

School2

School3

School4

School5

School6

DOST Primary School Enrollment (440 students)

Boys

Girls

“It has always been my wish that my daughter go to school along with my sons. Education is the only way to a better life for her. The government school is far away and the road unsafe. Now we have a school nearby with girl students and teachers.” -Haji Gulam Ali

TOGETHER FOR A BETTER FUTURE


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DOST achieved a 23% increase in enrollment of girls in the first four years of programming and

is currently operating at a near 50% enrollment rate for girls. DOST has begun to standardize

teacher training and certification to develop and maintain consistent teaching quality standards.

DOST incorporates culturally and academically

relevant curriculum for our schools. DOST uses

the National Curriculum of Pakistan in all of its

schools. Every student has the opportunity to

meet the highest standard for education in

Pakistan as set and approved by the Ministry of

Education. DOST takes great care in

contextualizing the National Curriculum for each

region in which it operates. In doing so, DOST

maintains a high degree of practicality and

relevancy.

DOST’s sustainability model in education is made possible in part through a managed

endowment dedicated to the operations of the schools. The endowment is managed through the

National Bank of Pakistan. In this way there is no need to seek further funding for sustainability.

As the endowment grows, additional schools are built. DOST broke ground on its seventh school

in March of 2015 funded solely from the endowment.

Economic Development

Civil engineering of small and medium infrastructure projects is integral to DOST’s work in

economic development. In December, DOST constructed

its fourth clean renewable energy Micro-Hydro Power

Station (MHPS) to provide the first ever access to reliable

electricity to 250 households in Northern Pakistan. This

project continues to power the homes, schools and

businesses of over 2,500 individuals, including one

thousand school children, in a mountainous region with the

highest concentration of glaciers outside of the Arctic

Circle.

DOST facilitates inclusive public-private partnerships which include and embrace community

participation. DOST’s successful model has resulted in civil engineering projects including

bridge construction as well as flood mitigation and rehabilitation in extremely challenging and

remote areas. The model ensures sustainability in programming by integrating underlying basic

civil engineering fundamentals into new economic development projects.

7

1923

47

0

10

20

30

40

50

2011 2012 2013 2014

Percent of Girls Enrollment


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In partnership with the Aga Khan Rural

Support Programme (AKRSP) in Shigar

Valley, DOST facilitated and led a cross sector

partnership with rural communities lacking

electricity and the government to construct and

operate MHPSs. With support from public,

private and civic partners, DOST is currently

operating MHPSs in four villages. DOST’s

sustainability model operates the MHPSs as

social ventures which include a pay-for-service

fee structure for beneficiaries to share costs.

In 2010, in partnership with Pakistan’s Ministry of Women development, DOST established the

Women’s Vocational Training Center in Skardu in Northern Pakistan. The Center teaches

tailoring and hand embroidery skills to women seeking economic empowerment. Promoting

sustainability, the Center opened an auxiliary Expo Center in 2014 to showcase and retail textile

products from the Vocational Training Center. To date, two hundred women and girls have

graduated from the training center, twelve of whom are currently employed operating the Expo

Center. The Expo Center is currently producing retail textiles for school uniforms for DOST

schools, a tactic DOST uses as part of its sustainability matrix.

The program is aligned with USAID’s

Gender Equality and Female

Empowerment Policy to reduce gender

disparities in accessing resources, wealth,

opportunities and services and seeks to

increase women and girls’ capability to

realize their rights and affect decision-

making in their communities.

To further foster women’s empowerment,

an Entrepreneur Leadership Institute will

train former graduates of the Women’s Vocational Training Center in basic business and mentoring

skills in order to further engage community women in enterprise development projects.

DOST’s sustainability model includes project plans to establish an e-commerce platform to bring

traditional and contemporary textiles to broader retail markets while strengthening women’s

financial skills and access. The plan focuses on vulnerable women in remote areas with limited

access to markets.

13%

37%50%

Vocational Center Dispersal

Employed at Expo Center

Engaged in RegionalEconomic Development

Producing Products


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Civic Participation

Critical to DOST’s civic participation efforts is the empowerment of women to engage as

community decision-makers. DOST has launched a program to develop

a sustained base of women entrepreneurs in Northern Pakistan who are

trained to foster and effectively participate in civil society. This

initiative focuses on strengthening established training programs which

foster sustainable livelihoods by increasing local women’s capacity to

catalyze successful businesses relationships. The project will deliver a

network of individuals who advance entrepreneurial efforts in their

communities and establish training programs that fill knowledge and

skills gaps among Northern Pakistan’s female entrepreneurs.

DOST’s economic development programs are built on a civic

participation and engagement model which empowers communities to

advocate for themselves through participatory dialogue with decision makers.

DOST promotes increasing the quality of life through its

newly formed civic participation programming.

Since 2013, DOST has implemented both issue and

constituency-based civic engagement models to address

the current and pertinent issues in the region.

DOST also remains a trusted SME expert in policy

formation for the local, regional, and international

community. DOST formally and informally acts to work with policy members to contextualize

funding opportunities, work to counter violent extremism, and empower populations through

culturally sensitive and relevancy modelling.

In 2014 DOST started its international campaign to raise awareness of sustainability modeling

through the DOST model in Washington, D.C. Through a series of events, meetings, and

informational sessions, DOST staff engaged to put the organization on the global international

development map.

DOST civic engagement encourages students and adults to become active participants in the

governmental process through a three tiered approach: active citizenship, issue and constituency

based engagement, and participation in government.

DOST’s Active Citizenship Program moves beyond voting to

encourage every citizen to understand the political process and know

their rights. The Issue and Constituency Based Engagement Program

encourages those who wish to go beyond active citizenship to work

within process to represent an issue of importance or constituency

that they wish to represent.


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Participation in Government Programing engages and mentors individuals who would like to

become civil servants or hold office one day. Our curriculum is based on the State of New York

Civics curriculum implemented throughout New York State’s high schools and accredited

through the State’s Regents Program, and has been contextualized for collective culture in an

Islamic Context for Pakistani audiences by DOST.

DOST opened its fourth Center for Excellence in 2014. The Center for Religious Dialogue was

opened with a series of events in Washington, D.C. and represents the first such center ever

formed by an intra-faith group of Muslims. To date DOST has opened the Women’s Vocational

Center, Women’s Expo Center, Maternal Child Health Center, and the Center for Religious

Dialogue. This latest addition will act as a beacon for Muslims to work with all populations in

the spirit of fellowship. While not a religious organization, DOST does not forget its history is

deeply rooted in the three unmovable tenants of Islam - education, service, and good works.

DOST Partners

Office of the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan

Ministry of Women Development, Government of Pakistan

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Trust Volunteer Organization (TVO)

Government of Pakistan

Endowment Fund for Primary Education

Marafie Foundation

Universal Muslim Association of America

Deutsch, Killea and Eapen, Immigration Law Firm

Soteria, Inc.

The Mitchell Firm

SALA, Inc.

Cazym Vazyr Photography

This annual report celebrates DOST’s rich

twenty-year history. Our values of

contextualization, need based engagement, and

local ownership has grown in to formal

structures which make DOST the choice for

international partners who wish to execute

programming without having to transition to

local actors or see their projects cease after

support ends. In many ways this report is a

thank you to those who supported DOST in the

past and an appeal to future partners. We urge

you to contact us for a conversation about how

we can be an asset to your organization.

We invite you to participate in efforts to support

resilient community building in one of the most

remote and challenging areas of the world.


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OUR LEADERSHIP

John Pinna

Executive Director

Amber Jamil

Deputy Director

Imran Nadeem

Country Director

DOST USA

1831 Belmont Road, NW

Suite 401

Washington, DC 20009

United States

Phone 202.705.9956

EIN # 46-4893905

DOST Pakistan Muhib Road, Skardo, Pakistan

Phone +925815-452020

Registration No. SDS-M-5(47)

Achieving Impact Innovating Impact Measuring Impact Sharing Impact

OUR METHOD

ENGAGEMENT of

existing stakeholders at

project inception. We

identify and establish the

right partners for the project.

SUSTAINABILITY through

shared costs, endowed funds,

shared risks by cross sector

partners from project plan to

execution.

CONTEXTUALIZATION of programs ensure local

ownership. Translation of

accountability and

transparency standards to

local governance customs.

GENDER and women’s

empowerment is community

based to ensure shared

ownership.


DOST Annual Report AJ 4-24-15

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