Location: Jaffarabad District, Balochistan
Project Description:
Jaffarabad is a remote district in south-eastern Balochistan with a population exceeding 500,000. Despite its cultural richness and strategic importance, the district faces entrenched development challenges. With a literacy rate of only 36%, many residents are limited to low-paid, informal work, often seasonal or agricultural in nature.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, these communities were hit particularly hard. Lockdowns and movement restrictions caused a sudden collapse in income for daily wage earners and informal workers. Families with no savings or financial safety nets rapidly found themselves unable to buy food and other essentials.
In response, UKMAP partnered with CDRS Youth and local organisation Qadam to identify and support the most vulnerable families. Essential commodities – including staple foods and basic household items – were distributed to help families weather the worst of the crisis and maintain a minimum standard of living during lockdown.
Beneficiaries: 69 families
Impact:
The intervention provided critical, timely support during an unprecedented global crisis. It ensured that families who had lost their income overnight still had access to food and essential items, mitigating the risk of hunger and malnutrition. It also helped reduce distress and anxiety in already fragile households, demonstrating to communities that they were not forgotten during a time of global emergency.
