Shandana Khan & Meena Iqbal

CEO of RSPN and nutrition lead

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Shandana Khan & Meena Iqbal are, respectively, the chief executive officer of the Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Pakistan and the programme lead of the European Union's Program for Improved Nutrition in Sindh. Khan has described RSPN as the biggest humanitarian network in the country. Iqbal is the manager for the nutrition-specific component of the Sindh programme, which provides treatment for malnutrition.

Early life and background

Shandana Khan was born in Rawalpindi, and both of her parents come from Mardan. Her father worked in the civil service and joined the foreign service in 1974. Earlier, when she was very young, he served as political agent in North Waziristan. [1]

Her father's first posting was in Moscow, and Khan moved there when she was seven or eight years old. After two years in Moscow, he was transferred to the UN mission in Geneva. In 1979 he was transferred to Bangladesh as ambassador. [1]

Education

Khan attended a Russian school in Moscow for two years. In Geneva she attended an English-language international school with her two sisters. She completed Senior Cambridge at Jesus and Mary Convent in Murree, then took a BA at Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University, where she studied political science. She later went to Cambridge University in the United Kingdom for a second BA. [1]

Early career

Khan returned to Pakistan in 1990. She moved to Islamabad and worked at a consulting firm. She spent one year in consulting and did not enjoy it, finding that consultants are not accountable for the projects they design. She felt she needed a change, and her family asked her to come back from the mountains. [1]

Khan wanted to design programmes, implement them on the ground and see the results. She went to join the Sarhad Rural Support Program in Peshawar. She was based in Gilgit and travelled alone to field sites in the valleys. She was also invited to join a three-week course with a group from the Balochistan Rural Support Programme. [1]

Rural Support Programmes Network

Khan states that the network's community organisations number more than 600,000, and that it has reached 56 million people directly since 1982. She describes a framework of 8.6 million organised households through which the network can work. [1]

Khan describes the approach as empowerment, helping communities take control of their own lives. She says its principles are not new and go back centuries, and that community members are sometimes well ahead of the people working with them. RSPN returns repeatedly to the same villages as a long-term relationship. The programme gives women skills and small loans, in the range of 20,000 to 30,000 rupees, rather than handouts. Khan says the impact of this approach shows in three to five years. [1]

Khan says RSPN and other NGOs are used as the first outreach in every disaster, and that RSPN had lists of the poorest and an organised outreach. She says a family planning project in 10 districts has run since 2017, and that contraceptive use there rose from 11%. RSPN creates what are called husband schools with UNFPA funding, working with government departments. She says her team once prepared 12,000 couples for family planning in Balochistan. [1]

Program for Improved Nutrition in Sindh

Meena Iqbal describes herself as the program manager for the Program for Improved Nutrition in Sindh. The programme has three components and was funded by the European Union. It has run in 10 districts of Sindh. The third component covers water, sanitation and hygiene, and agriculture and food security. PINS 1 works on policy and advocacy, and the project informs government and key decision makers about what is required. [1]

The programme trained and provided livelihoods to 791 women from the community, who screen children for malnutrition. Its target was to establish 93 outpatient treatment sites, and it also established two sites for children with complications who require inpatient treatment. Iqbal says the project has treated 33,000 children so far in Dadu and Jamshoro. The partner for the outpatient sites was PPHI, People's Primary Healthcare Initiative. [1]

Children stay in the programme for two months, with a ration and follow-ups every two weeks. The treatment uses RUTF, a ready-to-use therapeutic food that is widely used in the world. It is made with peanuts and some added nutrients. Iqbal states that the treatment is vitamins, minerals and a peanut base, not steroids. [1]

Views

Khan holds that the space for NGOs in Pakistan needs to be bigger. She says a government short of money should look at partnership models, that its resources should also be used through communities, and that funds can be brought in together with the government. She says local people are the first responders in a disaster, and that RSPN does not need to be driven by international donor money. [1]

On the economy, Khan says Pakistan's tax collection is among the lowest in the region, and that charity raises billions of rupees every year in an unregulated economy. She says BISP is a social protection programme, not a poverty alleviation programme. She says RSPN's projection of what it does is weak. [1]

Khan says one should try to build one's own islands of success, since one cannot change the world. If these islands increase and network with each other, and the government supports them, she says the effect can be transformative. Iqbal says a multi-sectoral approach is required to deal with malnutrition. [1]

Timeline

1974
Khan's father joined the foreign service.[1]
1979
Khan's father was transferred to Bangladesh as ambassador.[1]
1982
Start of the period over which the RSPN network reports reaching 56 million people directly.[1]
1990
Khan returned to Pakistan.[1]
2017
A family planning project in 10 districts began running.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-05-17 Pakistan's rural network reaches 56 million — and nobody knows Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Shandana Khan & Meena Iqbal?

Shandana Khan & Meena Iqbal are, respectively, the chief executive officer of the Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Pakistan and the programme lead of the European Union's Program for Improved Nutrition in Sindh. Khan has described RSPN as the biggest humanitarian network in the country.[1]

What does Meena Iqbal do?

Meena Iqbal is the Program Lead of the European Union's Program for Improved Nutrition in Sindh. She is the manager for its nutrition-specific component, which provides treatment for malnutrition.[1]

Where did Shandana Khan study?

Shandana Khan completed Senior Cambridge at Jesus and Mary Convent in Murree. She took a BA at Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University, where she studied political science. She later went to Cambridge University in the United Kingdom for a second BA.[1]

What organisation does Shandana Khan lead?

Shandana Khan is the chief executive officer of the Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Pakistan. She states that the network has reached 56 million people directly since 1982 and that its community organisations number more than 600,000.[1]

What is the Program for Improved Nutrition in Sindh?

The Program for Improved Nutrition in Sindh has three components and was funded by the European Union. It has run in 10 districts of Sindh. Meena Iqbal says the project has treated 33,000 children so far in Dadu and Jamshoro.[1]

How does the Sindh nutrition programme treat malnutrition?

The treatment uses RUTF, a ready-to-use therapeutic food made with peanuts and some added nutrients. Meena Iqbal states that it is vitamins, minerals and a peanut base, not steroids. Children stay in the programme for two months, with follow-ups every two weeks.[1]

References

  1. Pakistan's rural network reaches 56 million — and nobody knows . Thought Behind Things , 2023-05-17.
Show the source passages (80 statements)
  1. Shandana Khan was born in Rawalpindi. Meri paidaish toh Rawalpindi ki hai.
  2. Both of Shandana Khan's parents come from Mardan. My parents both come from from Mardan.
  3. Her father worked in the civil service and joined the foreign service in 1974. Early life mein mere walid civil service mein the toh main Peshawar mein thi aur jab main bahut hi choti thi woh North Waziristan mein political agent the aur aur jaghon mein bhi the. Yeh toh 60s ki baat hai aur phir 74 mein unhone foreign service join kiya.
  4. Her father served as political agent in North Waziristan when she was very young. jab main bahut hi choti thi woh North Waziristan mein political agent the
  5. Her father's first posting was in Moscow. unki pehli posting Moscow thi.
  6. Shandana Khan moved to Moscow when she was seven or eight years old. Toh jab main 7-8 saal ki thi toh hum wahan chale gaye
  7. She attended a Russian school in Moscow for two years. main ek rusi school mein main 2 saal padhi thi.
  8. After two years in Moscow, her father was transferred to the UN mission in Geneva. Toh 2 saal wahan the, uske baad unka transfer hua UN mission Geneva mein, Switzerland mein.
  9. She attended an English-language international school in Geneva with her two sisters. Wahan phir angrezi international school mein main aur meri do behne hain, hum hum padhe.
  10. Her father was transferred to Bangladesh as ambassador in 1979. Switzerland ke baad mere walid ko transfer kiya gaya, woh safeer the Bangladesh mein. Toh yeh tha 1979.
  11. She completed Senior Cambridge at Jesus and Mary Convent in Murree. maine Jesus and Mary Convent, Murree se senior Cambridge kiya
  12. She did a BA at Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University. uske baad main seedha wahan BA mein gayi, college mein gayi, Delhi University, Jesus and Mary College.
  13. She studied political science in Delhi. Delhi mein bhi I studied political science.
  14. She went to Cambridge University in the UK for a second BA. phir main Cambridge University gayi UK toh then I did a second BA.
  15. Shandana Khan returned to Pakistan in 1990. Nahi, main wapas aayi 1990 mein
  16. She moved to Islamabad and worked at a consulting firm. So I came to Islamabad aur maine ek uh consulting firm ke sath kaam kiya. Uh Enterprise Development Consulting, uh which was owned by Tariq Hussain and uh Maliha Hussain.
  17. She felt she needed a change, and her family asked her to come back from the mountains. So then I uh uh thought ke bas I need a change. Aur family ne bhi kaha ke bas ab aa jao paharon se.
  18. She found consulting unsatisfying because consultants are not accountable for the projects they design. Um maine socha ke consulting mein aap zyada tar, theek hai aap project design waghera karte hain magar aap uske responsible, accountable nahi hote hain.
  19. She spent one year in consulting and did not enjoy it. consulting ek saal maine kiya usmein mujhe maza nahi aaya.
  20. She wanted to design programmes, implement them on the ground and see the results. Main chah rahi thi ke program design ho, on the ground implementation ho, uske main results dekhun.
  21. She went to join Sarhad Rural Support Program in Peshawar. To phir main I went to join Sarhad Rural Support Program in Peshawar.
  22. She was based in Gilgit. Yeah, in Gilgit. I was Gilgit based.
  23. She travelled alone to field sites in the valleys. main akele jati thi field mein, main akele ja ke pata nahi kaun si kaun si valleys mein
  24. She was invited to join a three-week course with a group from the Balochistan Rural Support Programme. woh Balochistan se group aa raha hai kyunke Balochistan Rural Support Program tab bana tha. Toh tum aa jao, tum unke saath baith jao, 3 hafton ka course hai.
  25. Shandana Khan says the principles of social mobilisation are not new and go back centuries. To actually this thing has come this is not a new thing. This thing has come from centuries ago.
  26. Shandana Khan describes the approach as empowerment, helping communities take control of their own lives. it's more of an empowerment program where you're helping them take control of their own lives
  27. Shandana Khan says community members are sometimes well ahead of the people working with them. log kabhi kabhi humse bahut aage hote hain
  28. Shandana Khan says RSPN returns repeatedly to the same villages as a long-term relationship. one-time cheez toh nahi hai na hamari ek unke saath ek relationship hai. Toh hum baar baar unhi jaghon mein jate hain.
  29. Shandana Khan says the programme gives women skills and small loans rather than handouts. So that they have a skill, so that they have loans and not hand outs and these women take loans and they pay them back.
  30. Shandana Khan says the loans are small, in the range of 20,000 to 30,000 rupees. There's small loans, 20, 30,000 rupees.
  31. Shandana Khan says the impact of this approach shows in three to five years. So three to five years that's the impact.
  32. Shandana Khan says the poorest families they work with earn maybe 15 to 25,000 a month. from the poorest who are earning maybe 15 to 25,000 a month.
  33. Shandana Khan says she has seen the incomes of poor households improve. Unki aamdan, unki aamdan behtar hoti hai. Yeh humne actually dekha hai.
  34. Shandana Khan says income gains in many places have been wiped out. Bahut saari jaghon mein humne dekha hai ki woh jo aamdani hui hai toh woh toh bilkul wipe out ho gayi.
  35. Shandana Khan says diarrhoea in children under five fell from 32.6% to 17.4% in four years of work. Diarrhea has ah since we started in four years time, we reduced from 32.6% to 17.4% in ah children under five.
  36. Shandana Khan says the number of food groups consumed by women rose by about 20%. So we have seen, you know, about, you know, 20% increase in in the in the food groups that are consumed by by women.
  37. Shandana Khan says latrine uptake has been very slow. Ah, latrine uptake jo hai, mujhe pata nahi, it's very very slow.
  38. Shandana Khan says the falling rupee left too little money budgeted for each latrine. ek toh when we started the the rupee went down so fast, ke there was not enough money budgeted for each latrine.
  39. Shandana Khan says a government short of money should look at partnership models. if government has no money then government needs to look at partnership modes.
  40. Shandana Khan says government resources should also be used through communities. the resources that the government has should be also used through communities
  41. Shandana Khan says the space for NGOs in Pakistan needs to be bigger. the space for NGOs uh needs to be bigger.
  42. Shandana Khan says Pakistan's tax collection is among the lowest in the region. and therefore the tax collection is horribly low, one of the lowest in the region.
  43. Shandana Khan says charity raises billions of rupees every year in an unregulated economy. we have this sort of very unregulated sort of open economy jahan par charity raises billions of rupees every year.
  44. Shandana Khan says BISP is a social protection programme, not a poverty alleviation programme. Programs like BISP are very important because they are they are a social protection program. They are not a poverty alleviation program.
  45. Shandana Khan says RSPs and other NGOs are used as the first outreach in every disaster. This is a thing that happens with every disaster that we are used as the first uh outreach, us and other organizations.
  46. Shandana Khan says RSPN had lists of the poorest and an organised outreach. So we had lists of the poorest because that's what we do. We had an organized outreach.
  47. Shandana Khan says RSPN's projection of what it does is weak. our uh um projection of what we do is weak, definitely.
  48. Shandana Khan says RSPN is the biggest humanitarian network in the country. So you know we are the biggest humanitarian network in the country
  49. Shandana Khan says the community organisations in the network number more than 600,000. ye tanzeemein hain 6 lakh se upar.
  50. Shandana Khan says the network has reached 56 million people directly since 1982. 56 million people direct outreach it has been since 1982.
  51. Shandana Khan describes a framework of 8.6 million organised households that the network can work through. we are just offering a framework of you know 8.6 million organized households
  52. Shandana Khan says funds can be brought in together with the government. We can bring funds into this with the government. We know it.
  53. Shandana Khan says local people are the first responders in a disaster. because the first responders are our own people when there's a disaster, the quickest response.
  54. Shandana Khan says RSPN does not need to be driven by international donor money. we don't need to be driven by international donor money, it can come in, sure.
  55. Shandana Khan says a family planning project in 10 districts has run since 2017, and contraceptive use rose from 11%. Ab hum ek project chala rahe hain 10 zilon mein 2017 se chal raha tha. Aur usmein jo contraceptive use hai woh 11% se 56 52% tak aayi hai.
  56. Shandana Khan says RSPN creates husband schools with UNFPA funding and government departments. what we are doing is it's a UNFPA funded that when we work with the government, population welfare and health departments that we create what are called husband schools.
  57. Shandana Khan says her team once prepared 12,000 couples for family planning in Balochistan. Ek zamane mein Balochistan mein 12,000 couples humne tayar kiye for family planning.
  58. Shandana Khan says one should try to build one's own islands of success, since one cannot change the world. you should try and build your own islands of success. You can't change the world, but you can do uh what you can.
  59. Shandana Khan says that if these islands of success network and government supports them, the effect can be transformative. Now, the thing is that if these islands increase and they network with each other, and if the government supports this sort of thing, it can be transformative.
  60. Meena Iqbal says she is the program manager for the programme for improved nutrition. Yeah, I'm the program manager for Penzia to actually program for improved nutrition and which is one of the projects.
  61. Meena Iqbal says the programme for improved nutrition in Sindh has three components. So, ah ah program for improved nutrition in Sindh basically has three components.
  62. Meena Iqbal says the European Union funded the programme for improved nutrition in Sindh. Is also one of the major projects that ah European Union has funded for us.
  63. Meena Iqbal says the programme has run in 10 districts of Sindh. We have done this in their ah with their collaboration in 10 districts of Sindh, this project.
  64. Meena Iqbal says the third component covers water, sanitation and hygiene, and agriculture and food security. it is wash practices, which is water, sanitation and hygiene and also agriculture and food security.
  65. Meena Iqbal says she is the manager for the nutrition-specific component. So in I am basically manager for nutrition specific.
  66. Meena Iqbal says the nutrition-specific component provides treatment for malnutrition. nutrition specific is basically the treatment for malnutrition.
  67. Meena Iqbal says the programme trained and gave livelihoods to 791 women who screen children for malnutrition. we trained, we provided livelihood to 791 women from the community and we trained them on screening the malnourished children.
  68. Meena Iqbal says the programme's target was 93 outpatient treatment sites. one of the target of our project was to establish 93 OTP sites
  69. Meena Iqbal says the project established its outpatient sites and two inpatient sites for children with complications. So we established those as a part of this project and we also established two sites for ah children who were coming with complication who required inpatient treatment.
  70. Meena Iqbal says the project has treated 33,000 children so far in Dadu and Jamshoro. we are able to treat 33,000 ah ah children ah during this time of our project so far in Dadu and Jamshoro.
  71. Meena Iqbal says PPHI, People's Primary Healthcare Initiative, was the partner for the outpatient sites. for that our partner was PPHI, People's Primary Healthcare Initiative, which is also which is working across Sindh very largely
  72. Meena Iqbal says children stay in the programme for two months, with follow-ups every two weeks. They stay in our program for two months. There is a ration and they come for follow-ups after every two weeks
  73. Meena Iqbal says the treatment uses RUTF, a ready-to-use therapeutic food widely used in the world. there is a product RUTF, ready to use therapeutic food, which is very widely used in the world
  74. Meena Iqbal says RUTF is basically made with peanuts and other added nutrients. it's basically made with peanuts and some other nutrients are also added to it.
  75. Meena Iqbal says the treatment is vitamins, minerals and peanuts, not steroids. This is not steroids or anything of that sort. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's only vitamins, minerals and a peanut base of peanuts.
  76. Meena Iqbal says PINS 1 works on policy and advocacy. So they ah pins one actually works in policy and advocacy.
  77. Meena Iqbal says the project informs government and key decision makers about what is required. we are trying to inform the government, we are trying to inform the key decision makers that this is the situation, this is what is required.
  78. Meena Iqbal says a multi-sectoral approach is required to deal with malnutrition. A multi-sectoral approach would rather be required even after this 360 holistic approach of pins.
  79. Shandana Khan is the Chief Executive Officer of Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Pakistan. Shandana Khan is the Chief Executive Officer of Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Pakistan
  80. Meena Iqbal is the Program Lead of the European Union's Program for Improved Nutrition in Sindh. Meena Iqbal is the Program Lead of the European Union’s Program for Improved Nutrition in Sindh