Tharparkar (Mitthi), district of Sindh province is located in south east corner of Pakistan. Geographically it is part of vast Thar Desert covering huge area of Rajisthan (India), Sindh (Pakistan) and Cholistan area of Punjab (Pakistan). Drought conditions are permanent feature of Thar but very low rain in past three years has made it worse and residents of the district in general and people living in rural areas in particular are facing unprecedented problems.
Government and many Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) are working to provide as much relief as much possible to the calamity hit region but there is a need to look for some permanent solution and involve the local population to make themselves self-sufficient in coping drought conditions.
Assessment of local capabilities and needs should be made before making any actionable plan for improvement of living conditions in any area. For this type of situation analysis; there was a need of information at village level of Thar district.
Last population census in the country was conducted 16 years ago (in 1998); although outdated; basic info about population is available in census data and can be used after making projections based on demographic survey findings. Other than population profile data; non availability of many information areas are making donors and NGOs handicapped in making any action plan for villages of Thar.
After realizing the need to fill information gap regarding local capabilities and needs of villages in Thar; Al-Khidmat Foundation (AKF) decided to initiate a research study for collection of missing information at village level.