Training and educating women parliamentarians in Pakistan

Partner Institutes
University of Bradford	Fatima Jinnah Women University

Women in Pakistan have traditionally struggled against a male-dominated society to make their place in the country’s politics. Their absence from decision-making posts at the national and provincial levels means that they have no power to influence laws that affect women or to work towards improving their conditions.

Surprisingly, Pakistan has one of the highest percentages of women in parliament in South Asia and in recent years, has increased the number of reserved seats for women in the provincial and national assemblies. Yet the quality of their representation remains poor due to inadequate training and exposure.

Fatima Jinnah Women University and the University of Bradford are collaborating to address this weakness and educate female parliamentarians on matters of national importance. The researchers realise that the challenge in Pakistan is not simply to increase the numbers of females in the government, but more specifically to enhance the quality of their representation so that they have the power to make a difference.

The aim of the project is to develop a system of training on issues such as peace, conflict, security and democracy which will give women parliamentarians the knowledge and confidence to speak out and effect change. This will be done through a series of Peace Studies modules that will develop their knowledge and competence.

The partnership also plans to establish a Research Centre of Peace and Security Studies at Fatima Jinnah Women University that will provide ongoing parliamentary training and seek collaborations with local and international institutions on peace and conflict issues.

Lessons learnt:

• During the course of this project, the project team has learned to manage challenging projects involving a number of stakeholders in an effective way.

• The project team should be focused on the activity plan and shouldn’t try to be over ambitious.

• Keeping a close eye on the issues surrounding the target audience.

Challenges: 

• The security situation in Pakistan was a major challenge during this project. The UK partner had difficulties in getting travel insurance for their visits to Pakistan. Further, the project activities were also delayed due to the security situation.

• Having access to women parliamentarians was difficult because of their busy schedule.

Impact:

The project facilitates the women parliamentarians on the issues of peace, security and conflict and ensures to:

• Strengthen the capacity at FJWU in peace and conflict related research and training.

• Strengthen the capabilities and leadership skills of female parliamentarians on national strategic issues.

• Enhance debate on peace and conflict issues within Pakistan’s national political institutions that mainstreams gender perspectives.

• Improve sustainable and close collaborative links between FJWU and CICS that will facilitate future joint research and training. 

• Engage the Women’s Caucus, PIPS, donors and academic institutions / think tanks in consideration of how research links on gender, peace and conflict issues can be enhanced in Pakistan, and how academic research / resources can feed into the programme and policy making / evaluation process.

  

Key Contacts:

Dr. Julia Buxton, University of Bradford

J.D.Buxton@bradford.ac.uk, www.bradford.ac.uk

Dr. Saima Kiyani, Fatima Jinnah Women University

drsaimakayani@gmail.com, www.fjwu.edu.pk

Tracking diarrhoea-causing bacteria in Pakistan

Partner Institutes
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

A trail of destruction spread across Pakistan in 2010 in the form of massive floods. Millions were rendered homeless, countless villages were swept away and infrastructure was destroyed. The survivors were hardly lucky, for they had to brave freezing temperatures in makeshift shelters, scrounge for food and worst of all, battle serious illnesses. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), water-borne diseases, including diarrhoea and the deadly cholera, are still the most commonly reported diseases in the flood-affected locations and children are particularly at risk. We have all seen the heartbreaking images of children as young as a month old fighting for their lives as their parents helplessly await a miracle. It may take something less than a miracle to save them after all.

The INSPIRE partnership between the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK and the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan aims to develop rapid and inexpensive fingerprinting technology to track diarrhoea-causing bacteria in various drinking water sources. The main objective of this project is to study hospitalised cases of diarrhoea in order to develop effective methodologies for environmental surveillance of water-borne pathogens causing diarrhoea and to better understand how to control the spread of disease.

A research team has carried out sample collection and analysis from various regions and will be examining them in detail. Exchange visits of UK and Pakistan faculty have been planned, as well as a 4 to5 month research attachment for a PhD student from Pakistan. Research in this area is critical for a country like Pakistan where only about 2% of the GDP is spent on health. Four research papers have been produced under this partnership and will be published in international research journals.

Most relief workers agree that clean drinking water is the major precursor to a safe environment not only in the flood-affected areas, but across the country. This INSPIRE project can save the 230,000 children in Pakistan that die of water-borne diseases each year.

Lessons Learnt

• Most relief workers agree that clean drinking water is the major precursor to a safe environment not only in the flood-affected areas, but across the country. This INSPIRE project can help saving the 230,000 children in Pakistan that die of water-borne diseases each year by developing methodologies for quick identification of the potential pathogens in the environment and making use of GIS system the point of isolation of particular pathogen can be shown on the Map. 

Challenges

• In this project the team analysed the Diarrheagenic pathogens particularly V. cholera and different E. coli strains from hospitalized patients admitted to hospitals and makeshift camps of three main flood affected provinces of Pakistan including Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Punjab and Sindh as well as sporadic cases of diarrhoea in these provinces.
• Access to some affected areas was a challenge for the project team.

Impact

• This INSPIRE project can help saving thousands of children in Pakistan that die of water-borne diseases each year by developing methodologies for quick identification of the potential pathogens in the environment and making use of GIS system to point out the affected areas.

Key Contacts

Dr. Brenden Wren, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

brendan.wren@lshtm.ac.uk, www.lshtm.ac.uk

Dr. Syed Habib Bokhari, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

habib@comsats.edu.pk, www.ciit.edu.pk

Studying the biological and clinical importance of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection

Partner Institutes
University of Birmingham	Aga Khan University

You may be feeling on top of the world today but did you know that your body could be harbouring a viral infection without you even knowing it? Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a species of virus that is present in more than 70% of the adult world population. An unusual characteristic of the virus is that it never clears from the host following the infection. In a normal, healthy adult, it poses no danger. However, chronic CMV infection in older people leads to a decrease in the ability of the immune system to fight other, more dangerous infections. Moreover, CMV is one of the infections mostly easily passed on to fetuses and can prove fatal for newborns.

The Aga Khan University, Pakistan and the University of Birmingham, UK are studying the biological and clinical importance of CMV to determine its prevalence in several districts of Karachi. The research will study a cross-sectional rural/urban population from all socio-economic classes and collect blood samples to determine the presence of CMV. The aim is to design interventions that will boost the body’s immune system to fight the virus, which in turn will help combat other diseases such as Hepatitis C and cancer.

The partnership will develop a short course in virology for the mutual benefit of both universities. Faculty and student exchange is also a major component of this project. A PhD student from the Aga Khan University was placed at the University of Birmingham for research while leading cancer specialist Dr. Paul Moss from the University of Birmingham delivered seven lectures in Pakistan to an audience of health practitioners, researchers and students. The partners plan to hold workshops in both countries and disseminate the findings of their research to a wider audience.

Lessons learnt:

• This project has helped us in finding answers to some of the health related problems particularly those which are also marred by social aspects found in the low income group particularly in the peri-urban population.
• The project has also given us experience in how sharing of the knowledge and skills in the form of training graduate students can help us developing research skills in the area of health and higher education.

Challenges faced:

• The security situation is Pakistan and particularly Karachi was a major challenge in delivering this project.
• Identifying and recruiting study participants to do upper strata of the socioeconomic group as well as lower economic group, has been a challenge.

Impact:

• The major benefit of this project would be the enhancement of the understanding about the correct status of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the local population, mainly so because such a large number participants with demographical data has not been studied for the assessment of the status of this particular virus.
• This study would lead to the initiation of further projects in this area and would also assist in finding the association between the CMV infection with hepatitis C virus infection which is a much greater and complex problem in the context of Pakistan.

Key contacts:

Prof. Paul Moss, University of Birmingham

p.moss@bham.ac.uk, www.bham.ac.uk

Prof. Anwar Ali Siddiqui , Aga Khan University

anwar.siddiqui@aku.edu, www.aku.edu

Developing strategies to monitor pollution levels in River Indus

Partner Institutes
Newcastle University	Government College University, Faisalabad

The mighty Indus, which once nurtured one of the greatest ancient civilisations, is now rated the tenth most threatened river in the world. Climate change and unchecked pollution have caused toxin levels to rise dangerously; a fact that does not bode well for a country whose economy is based on agriculture. But the Indus is more than just a water resource for farmers – it is one of the major sources of drinking water for the villages that surround it as well as a vital support structure for local industry.

Having been nurtured by it for centuries, it is now an important responsibility for the region to protect the Indus from total extinction. The INSPIRE collaboration between the Government College University, Faisalabad and Newcastle University, UK aims to monitor the levels of pollution in the Indus using fish as an indicator. Aquatic animals, particularly fish, accumulate metal toxins in their bodies and hence are an excellent gauge of pollution in their external environment.

By devising strategies to minimise toxin levels in the Indus, the project will greatly improve the quality of life in the surrounding communities, where contaminated water is one of the major causes of disease. Moreover, they will be able to reap economic benefits from farming fish that is safe for consumption.

The partnership hopes to involve the local and national governments to devise a comprehensive awareness campaign to control river pollution and help save one of the country’s greatest natural resources.

Lessons learnt:

In the study area water pollution is increasing through municipal and industrial wastes and return-agriculture flows through drainage structures, so there is a great need of minimising the pollution in this area. The growing agricultural crops in the surrounding area of the River Indus are a source of pollution which is threatening the aquatic life including fish.

Challenges faced:

The agricultural farmers working in the areas are used to cropping around the River Indus for many years are less willing to change their agricultural practices. It will take time to convince and train them about the hazardous effects of the pesticides and insecticides.

Impact:

This project will have long term impact on reducing aquatic pollution by creating awareness in the community about the hazardous effects of pollutants on fish growth and production. This may increase the economy of rural community and ultimately of country and help in reducing poverty in rural communities. At the end of INSPIRE project 50 staff members of both genders will be trained in aquatic genotoxicological research and more trained staff will be available at general and public level for fish farming and educating agricultural farmers about the hazardous and genotoxic effects of pollutants on aquatic fauna and flora including Fish. The findings of this project will be published in various reputed International Journals which will be the intellectual property of both HEIs.

Key contacts:

Dr. Abdul Shakoor Chaudhry, Newcastle University
a.s.chaudhry@newcastle.ac.uk, www.newcastle.ac.uk

Dr. Farhat Jabeen, Government College University, Faisalabad
farjabeen2004@yahoo.co.in, www.gcuf.edu.pk

The Bradford/Mirpur connection and the global citizenship of its young people

Partner Institutes
School of Lifelong Education and Development, University of Bradford	Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST), University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK)

Caught between two cultures – no place in the world illustrates this dichotomy better than Bradford in the UK which has one of the highest percentages of people of Pakistani origin. More than 80% of these Bradford Pakistanis come from Mirpur, Kashmir. It is common for most families to regularly shuttle between the two countries and the two very diverse cultures. Statistics show that approximately 50% of Mirpuri-heritage Bradford children go on extended leave at least once in their school lifetimes.

Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST) and the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK) have partnered with the School of Lifelong Education and Development, University of Bradford to study this interesting sociological phenomenon. The project aims to better understand the impact of extended leave and how best to educationally support young people who live cross-culturally.

Expert opinion on living between two cultures is divided. On the one hand is the perception that prolonged absence from their hometown has a negative impact on children’s education and is responsible for their underachievement and subsequent anti-social activities, whereas others believe that extended periods abroad provide vital cultural and social learning.

While research will be carried out to determine the effects of this cultural duality, the most important aspect of the project is to ensure that the young people involved feel at home in both places. To do so, partnerships between educational institutions in Bradford and Mirpur are being encouraged in order to devise a collaborative curriculum for those children who are away from school for long periods.

It has become fashionable to talk of ‘global citizenship’ as a positive experience; but ask those who actually live between two countries and experience a sense of alienation from both. Through this project, the Pakistani and UK universities hope to provide children of Mirpuri origin living in Bradford some semblance of a normal academic life and help them in their struggle to fit in.

Lessons learnt/Challenges faced:

• Necessity of long lead in times and volume of preparatory  work when engaging others in the project (such as university students and local schools)
• Necessity of good, frequent communication and plenty of advance warning and planning when trying to link virtually with partner organisation events
• Social networking media works well when engaging students   

 Impact:

• Deeper and more informed understanding of extended trips abroad to visit family
• Sense of how young people are making sense of and forming self identities around ‘family life in two places’   
• Giving students the opportunity to engage in and lead a piece of interesting research – student voice and students as agents of change
• Disseminating (staff and student presenters) to wider group via conference presentation

Key Contacts:

Nadira Mirza, University of Bradford

N.S.Mirza@bradford.ac.uk, www.bradford.ac.uk

Dr Louise Comerford Boyes

L.Comerford-boyes@bradford.ac.uk, www.bradford.ac.uk

  

Prof. Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman, Mirpur University of Science and Technology

Vc@must.edu.pk, www.must.edu.pk

Syed Tanveer Hussain Shah, Azad Jammu Kashmir University

tanveer.hussain@ajku.edu.pk, www.ajku.edu.pk

Development of Bioinformatics Research, Teaching and Infrastructure at the University of Sindh

Partner Institutes
University of Essex	University of Sindh, Jamshoro

Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. It is an important strategic field for development, because it brings together ideas from biology, biochemistry, computer science, mathematics and statistics. There is a growing need for education in bioinformatics in Pakistan. At present, the country has limited growth in technology and it is becoming increasingly important for it to take up ventures which would enhance its technological capabilities.

University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan, in partnership with University of Essex, UK, plans on building a strong and coherent bioinformatics group at the University of Sindh under the INSPIRE Strategic Partnership Programme.

The project will seek to introduce an effective and comprehensive professional development programme for researchers in both institutes. Essex will help Sindh in the development of its infrastructure for technology transfer and research commercialisation. Members of the Essex team will assist in conducting projects and workshops; leading to a detailed assessment of the gaps in Sindh's existing provision for research commercialisation and professional development relevant for bioinformatics.

There will also be PhD projects available for students at the Sindh University. The aim is to further the professional development of research students and early career researchers by raising their awareness of the exploitation of research. Another avenue would be ‘Communicating Your Research in the Media’. This course will be led by staff from the Communications and External Relations section at the University of Essex. It will focus on communicating research to non-expert audiences which is an important way of raising the profile of a researcher.

Essex University’s International Strategic Agenda 2010-2013 includes a commitment to build on the long history of international engagement to further internationalise the university through a systematic strategic approach. The project at hand will provide them a good start in their aim to internationalise the university through collaborations and partnerships. This will also benefit Essex in establishing a variety of leadership and professional development courses and conduct workshops for its students and faculty members.

Lessons learnt:

• Learnt to work together with different educational systems of UK and Pakistan. 
• Obtained first hand knowledge of working in the field of Bioinformatics.

Challenges faced:

• Identification and preparation of team of passionate experts who are willing to work together for the establishment of the M.PHIL/PhD in Bioinformatics at University of Sindh
• The security situation and complications resulting from it in Pakistan has slowed down the exchange visit process.

Impact:

• This project has ensured a lasting impact on University of Sindh by establishing the field of Bioinformatics at the University to conduct of teaching and research
• Better understanding of some of the hurdles that are being faced in Pakistan with regards to Bioinformatics

Key contacts:

Dr. Andrew Harrison, University of Essex

harry@essex.ac.uk, www.essex.ac.uk

Prof. Dr. M.Y. Khuhawar, University of Sindh

mykhuhawar@usindh.edu.pk, www.usindh.edu.pk

Developing Medical Education in Pakistan

Partner Institutes
University of Liverpool	University of Health Sciences

Disease, malnutrition, a lack of clean drinking water and high infant mortality rate – these are just some of the health problems that Pakistan has to face today. Add to that the growing number of emergencies that have befallen the country – not only the devastating natural disasters like the recent floods but also the numerous bomb blasts that occur periodically – and you have a set of challenges that any developing country would find daunting.

In such circumstances, it is important to invest in the training of local health professionals and constantly update their skills so that they are capable of meeting these challenges. Medical Education is a strand of medicine that focuses on these very areas – providing training and continuous professional development to health practitioners.

The University of Health Sciences in Lahore has over 24 affiliated medical colleges with departments dedicated to Medical Education, but they realise that they lack the latest knowledge and skills required for efficient practise. Hence, the university is collaborating with the University of Liverpool under the INSPIRE banner to develop an innovative and sustainable project aimed to increase efficiency, enhance research and secure funding for health projects.

Workshops and staff exchanges between the two institutions are being carried out.  Project progress and lessons learnt have been presented at International conferences.  It is intended to support the publication of Pakistani research in international journals. Another important development underway is a Post Graduate Certificate in Medical Education (UHS) administered by the University of Liverpool in Pakistan.

Health in Pakistan receives a tiny portion of the total national expenditure. Any project that aims to strengthen the local medical profession has the potential to affect millions. This collaborative INSPIRE partnership can be groundbreaking in terms of the positive changes it brings about in the health industry and the delivery of quality service.

Lessons learnt:

• Working across cultures, especially institutional cultures, and the need to embed structures for sustainability is a major learning process
• Inter-personal relationships in such projects are critical. Because of the nature of the project, is very dependent on the enthusiasm of key stakeholders.

 Challenges faced:

• Due to different cultures, it is often difficult to keep up the pace on the same level at both universities.
• Tracking funding from British Council was a challenging task.
  
  

Impact:

• The project would have a sustainable impact as Post-graduate programmes have been started at University of Health Sciences which are facilitated by University of Liverpool.
• There is also a strong possibility that students from University of Health Sciences would advance to PhD at University of Liverpool.
• A new programme called “Introduction to Medical Education” is also in process under this project. This programme will be aimed at new staff members.

Key contacts:

Dr. Ian Willis, University of Liverpool

ian.willis@liverpool.ac.uk, www.liverpool.ac.uk

Prof. Arif Rashid Khawaja, University of Health Sciences

med@uhs.edu.pk, www.uhs.edu.pk