Participatory Development Initiative [PDI] is a youth-led not for profit and non-governmental organization. Launched on 24th June 2004 by a group of young community development professionals, human rights activists, trade unionists, researchers, media professionals and concerned citizens, PDI is registered under Societies Act 1860.
The organization is engaged in advocacy, campaigning, community awareness, mass mobilization, participatory community development, participatory research, and networking on the local, national as well as global issues negatively affecting the lives and the livelihoods of the poor communities especially women.

OBJECTIVES

• Mobilizing and organizing the local communities to empower them to take initiatives for their equal and active participation in the development process
• Building the capacities of the local communities/ Community organizations especially women to develop their organizational strength and leadership skills
• Finding and implementing participatory solutions towards eradicating negative tribal customs
• Providing awareness raising and mass mobilization for the rights of local communities
• Promoting sustainable livelihoods, community based natural resource management, disaster management and mitigation, education and health through community awareness and community based development processes
• Engaging in awareness, mobilization and policy advocacy on the local, national and international issues affecting the poor communities, their lives and livelihoods
• Conducting community based participatory research, information / knowledge sharing and engaging in networking to strengthen the civil society partnerships and alliance building for participatory and sustainable development

VISION
PDI envisions a participatory development process with the active involvement of all the stakeholders’ right from the conceptualization to planning and implementation phases, making the development process people oriented, people centered, and gender sensitive.

MISSION
Promoting participatory, pro-poor, and sustainable, environment friendly and gender balanced development, for creating equal opportunities and benefits for all.

Climate Change and DRR Program
With the growing impacts of Climate Change and the level of natural disasters rising, the vulnerable communities in Pakistan have been fully at risk, in this regard PDI under its Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Program is actively engaged with the vulnerable communities of Sindh and Balochistan, in the areas frequently hit by the disasters i.e. droughts, floods and cyclones and earthquakes for prevention, mitigation and adaptation awareness. The Program aims towards disaster risk reduction planning as well as prevention and mitigation for these vulnerable communities and to aware the people about the importance of their participation towards mitigating the impacts of Climate Change as well as stand against the natural disasters. The program also works with the active national and international networks on Disaster Risk Deduction and Disaster Response to gain further strength at the times of action.

Humanitarian Response Program
PDI Humanitarian Response Program is an active response program for any type of natural or man-made disasters in Pakistan. The program team highly trained in strategic techniques of relief and emergency response are engaged in vulnerable communities hit by the disasters. Guided by the organization’s contingency planning, PDI Humanitarian Response Program team becomes engaged in early warning, evacuation and relief as the disaster hits any area/ region in Sindh and Balochistan. The relief activities are later on followed by early recovery and rehabilitation activities.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program
PDI Water Sanitation and Hygiene Program is engaged in organizing local communities, creating awareness among them on the issues of, safe drinking water and sanitation and hygiene through community meetings, seminars and workshops. PDI WASH Program team is playing key role in creating awareness about the water born diseases in the rural as well as urban areas informing and educating the local communities about the water contamination and other water and hygiene related issues. PDI team is also engaged in facilitating the local communities in the implementation of community based projects in health, drinking water and sanitation in Balochistan. PDI WASH team is also engaged in water related advocacy initiatives at local, provincial and national level.

Youth and Gender Development Program
PDI Youth and Gender Development Program has been actively mobilizing and organizing women and youth through the formation of youth groups and male and female groups and building the capacities of those groups. Under this program various initiatives for the awareness of young women and youth, advocacy and alliance building for women rights and action against gender discrimination are taken. The program aims to make young forces active where they have been usually discouraged in participation, may it be the issues of the decision making or Reproductive Health Rights, a core Cricket team of Youth and Gender Development and a Theatre group for this purpose innovatively involve youngsters in the activities of the program by cricket tournaments, street theatre and interactive theatre.

Sughar: Women Economic Empowerment Program
Sughar [English translation: skilled and confident woman] is a program aimed at ending the negative customs of exchange marriages, child marriages, honour killings by promoting the beautiful traditions and providing socio-economic empowerment to women in tribal communities of Pakistan. Sughar establishes Women Centers in villages offering an 8 month course to tribal women. The course involves value-adding the traditional embroidery and provides basic education and literacy skills. It raises awareness of rural women on their equal status and rights. Each course offers a minimum loan to each woman after graduating to initiate Primary Production Units at their homes thus promoting women entrepreneurship which greatly influences their power to ownership and decision making.

Education Development Program
PDI Education Development Program is engaged in policy advocacy as well as capacity building of different stakeholders including teachers and school management committees. Besides Program team also has been managing a number of education and community literacy centres. The team has also been engaged in advocacy with the local provincial and the federal government for improving the educational system and standards. The program team works towards improving the educational quality of existing schools and also setting up quality educational institutions and adult literacy centres, Girls Education is the key focus of PDI education program in Pakistan.

Land Rights and Food Security Program
Land Rights and Food Security Program focuses on contributing towards land rights and equitable landownership of the poor and vulnerable groups especially women in Sindh (Pakistan) for their socio-economic and livelihoods empowerment. PDI Land Rights and Food Security Program is active in community mobilization, organization and advocacy on land reforms, distribution of stand land among the landless peasants etc. This program aims at empowering women in Pakistan through security land ownership rights for them. While under this program a lot focus is also given on alternative livelihoods strategies and opportunities for poor communities especially women. PDI team is also engaged in organizing primary producers, forming their Farmers Organizations and Producer Organizations [POs] as well as cooperative societies to strengthen the farmers, fishermen and other primary producers in producing and marketing mechanisms.