By: Sobia Saleem

The growth and development is the highest challenge of leadership but are our leaders ready to deliver?  This is the simple thing to understand that why development could not trickle down toward grassroot level in the community? If you get a chance to visit any under privileged community, we would be shocked to see the reality of life!

This is my first expression when I visited the slum area in Hyderabad; actually I witnessed the social movement lead by those social activists who are trying to make the difference on ground by giving awareness on sustainable development global goals, which are having aim of NO ONE LEAVE BEHIND! 

The group of young activists are eagerly working in the deprived and truly neglected area where hardily any person can understand what development looks like? Samreen who is leading the social movement, she is quite optimistic and courageous despite of hurdles of working at grassroot level in the community.

She believes that true development must be in harmony with the need of people, she says that development initiative always driven by community to get them ownership that actually leads sustainable development. 

Only government and state could not deliver until the main stake of people get across onboard.  In the area of Meher Ali, where these social activists are working on awareness on sustainable development goals alongside to capture and video documentation of the social change, is deprived slum area from decade.

  To make easy narrative on these global goals, the social activists are trying to simplifying and localized version to make community understand what development actually happen with holistic and collective approach. Well, Let’s try to understand what sustainable development goals (SDGs) are?

Sustainable development goals are initiative signed by global leaders of approximately 190 countries to eradicate poverty, hunger, gender inequality, illiteracy, energy shortages, and other which are total 17 goals in number to make this world a better place to live in equally.

These goals are expected to achieve by the end of 2030. Currently world population is 7,632,819,325 (7.6 billion) but hardly less than half of it would be aware of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It’s irony that, for which SDGs are designed are hardly know about it.

It has been on record that number of regional, national and international conferences have been organized in lavish places since 2015 when SDGs are framed to make strategies to work on it. It should be an inclusive process to achieve. Those 1 billion people should know goal number 1 of SGDs who earn less than 1.25 dollar per day. 

Those 925 million people should know what SGDs say about no hunger. Parents of every 11 children who are dying every minute should know what SDGs hold in good health.170 million students should know what SDGs are who could be lifted out poverty if those students learnt basic reading skills.

SDGs should be communicated with those working women of the world who are working 70 percent of world working hours yet only earns 10 percent of income. Preciously, want to say that Sustainable development gaols should be shared with those for them it literally mean.

Initiatives should be taken to enlighten local people on it and try to take them on board to achieve this bunch of goals.  By understanding its need, social development organization Shelter Participatory shortly known as SPO took initiative and launched a social intervention in slum area of Mehar Ali which situated in unit 10, Latifabad Hyderabad.

By now, it’s unregistered residential area with more than 400 houses. All the garbage of the entire city has been dumped into this area daily which is set on fire by the residents of Mehar Ali because they have no any alternate. Isn’t it shocking, that all burned litter of the entire city could cause number of severe dangerous diseases…?

There is no sui-gas connection in this area as well. Imagine a house without having connection of sui-gas! How things can get done…? No cooking, no food….?  There is no proper sewerage system. Roads and streets turn into swimming pools after rain and sewerage system blockage.

There is no legal connection of electricity. Only a single government school is there to teach more than 800 young minds, which is also out of function. Hardly teachers do visit and take classes.

Last but not least, majority of them don’t have their national identity cards. Just imagine, citizen of any state, without having any proof of showing their connection with the state. 

The awareness sessions and social action lead the people into the process of thinking and taking initiative by own self. Social Mobilizer of SPO trying to make them realize how development can bring from grass root actions and interventions and how small action leads towards global impact. 

Community people, now taking collective actions by approaching authorities, making networks and involving other stake holders to resolve the issue with participatory approach. 

There is something that need to be change and work out, as alongside of mega issue that government have to handle, these small but strong community actions giving us hope that someone doing something to bring positive change in the society and what make me amused when i listen the beautiful words said by the community leader Samreen during conducting an awareness session in the area that “ I don’t need followers, I need more leaders like me, who can bring change contribute no matter how little their efforts are  but do it by their own and now”. 02