Written by Muhammad Aslam, Peace Foundation Pakistan
Every organisation faces problems in their operations and these problems are multiplied with power cuts and poor supply of electricity. At the Peace Foundation Pakistan, we face 3 hours of power cuts during office hours on regular basis, which often leads to an increase in workload or delays in project implementation.
For example, the teams working in the field come to the office to write their reports. During the power cuts, the teams are unable to do their reporting, causing delays in them getting back to our operations. Another example is staff members requesting leave on short notice on the basis of them being unable to do their work without electricity. Power cuts also result in increased budget demands, for example to cover additional costs for fuel for the generators and solar plates.
There are a few different actions we have taken to deal with power cuts. For example, sometimes we will know in advance the timing of the power cut, which enables us to plan our work. We focus on work requiring electricity when we have power, and then on other work when there is a power cut.
Other initiatives that we have taken are:
Muhammad Aslam has 10 years’ experience in project development, fundraising and partnership, working around expanding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service coverage. He has a masters degree in Economics and a diploma in Culture and Sexuality from the university of Amsterdam and has been Director of Programs at Peace Foundation Pakistan for the last three years. He has skills in coordinating and building working relationships with donor agencies and emergency response sectors.