Functions

Capacity Building

LEAD Pakistan has now an experience of almost two decades of designing, developing and implementing high quality, multi-sectoral training and development programs for national and international audience.

In terms of quality and impact, its capacity building initiatives are world-class, reflecting the organization’s longstanding and close affiliation with LEAD International, as well as the rich intellectual resource represented by its staff and external faculty. LEAD’s flagship program, the Leadership Development Program (LDP) is an innovative capacity building initiative for multi-sectoral mid to senior level level professionals in Pakistan. This program is LEAD’s most popular and vibrant capacity building program which has completed 15 cohorts (batches) to date. There are over 220 professionals from Pakistan who have completed this program and have become “Fellows” of LEAD’s global network.

LEAD also offers two additional programs: the Management Development Program, designed for the special needs of the corporate sector and ‘Customized & Collaborative Capacity Building’, wherein LEAD collaborates to conduct capacity building initiatives designed exclusively for specific organizations.

LEAD Pakistan’s competency regarding capacity development is evident from the fact that to date, LEAD has trained 29,324 individuals (22,860 males and 3,189 females from rural communities; 2,667 males and 608 females representing mid career professionals) ranging from rural community members to senior corporate and government officials, through a total of 1,977 trainings (2,000 trainings at grassroots level and 200 at mid-career level). The focus of our training programs has been nationwide extensively covering both urban and rural populace.
 

Community Empowerment

This function is recognized by LEAD Pakistan as a way of increasing people’s skills, knowledge and confidence, and implanting a belief of making a difference. It works to bring people together for common issues and concerns in communities and groups that are open, democratic and accountable. Village assembly is a good example in the DEMO program.

The main aim is to encourage and equip communities to take part and influence decisions, services and activities, while building positive relationships across groups, and developing links to national bodies.

 

Knowledge Management

Access to reliable evidence is central to an effective response to the development challenges of climate change. A mass of information is available, but it is often hard to find what you need or make sense of it. Effective knowledge sharing is a fundamental pillar of any organization’s any initiative. Our work is shaped by the demands emerging at national/international levels and we try to fill gaps and connect to existing initiatives rather than duplicate them.

We effectively use latest online communication tools, organize face-to-face events and use print, video and other formats to reach different audiences. We produce different types of materials to capture and distil the latest knowledge and present it in a convenient and accessible way.

 

Networking & Partnerships

This function has the primary objective of forging partnerships for mutual actions. This goal creates a unique network of professionals, organizations and volunteers from civil society. One of the organizations key strengths in the past has been to mobilize stakeholders from across sectors on common agenda, for instance environmentally sensitive development.

 

Public Policy Engagement

This function is not a separate stream but a conceptual umbrella under which the organization’s projects and initiatives are oriented towards policy outcomes. Specific policy-oriented projects are developed in close integration with LEAD Pakistan’s themes. The aim is to help sustain outputs, and develop LEAD Pakistan as an institutional source of national policy input.

 

Research

LEAD Pakistan started off as a capacity building organization. Case studies and occasional papers were produced by the organization to enrich the curriculum of the LEAD program and ensure that participants had access to the latest facts and analysis on development issues in the country. Some of the research products were also published as a modest contribution to direly needed indigenous knowledge on development matters in Pakistan.

As in the case of capacity building, however, the organization gradually found that it needed to and was capable of playing a more profound role. This has led to increasing investments of staff and other resources in in-house studies as well as collaborative and commissioned research for other institutions.

The Research Unit now at LEAD Pakistan carries out policy/applied research on development issues in the context of sustainable development in Pakistan. The unit undertakes surveys, case studies, occasional papers, discussion papers, action research studies and research updates.
The unit focuses on applied research using modern research techniques, methodologies and tools of data analysis to generate primary data that could be used for planning, formulation and implementation of policies.

LEAD Pakistan has a record of research and publications on issues related to the environment and development in Pakistan. Research is also undertaken for external clients on a consultancy basis, and as part of externally funded projects.

(Last updated: May 18, 2012)