An IOM Humanitarian Communications (HComms) project designed to
support a USD 465 million compensation programme targeting 1.1
million victims of Pakistan’s cataclysmic 2010 floods is
winding down as the programme nears completion.

The government-led, unconditional cash compensation scheme, also
known as the Citizen’s Damage Compensation Programme or Watan
Card, was launched in March 2010 and was the largest scheme of its
kind ever implemented in Pakistan.

It was backed by the UK Department for International Development
(DFID) and the World Bank and provided victims of the floods with
USD 422 per household, paid in two tranches of USD 211. 

IOM’s role was to establish and maintain two way
communications between the government, beneficiaries and other
stakeholders. It worked with the National Database and Registration
Authority (NADRA) to provide essential information to the
beneficiaries, particularly about cash compensation and eligibility
criteria.

Messages were developed by technical experts and disseminated
through community awareness sessions and mass media. IOM HComms
staff also worked in Watan Card Facilitation Centres. A call centre
with a 24-hour, toll-free number was set up to provide information
to beneficiaries in their regional languages, register complaints
and facilitate case referrals.

 

“We approached different people to resolve our cases, but it
was the HComms staff in our district who got us through the
procedures and enabled us to get our compensation,” says
Khaisata Rehman, a flood-affected casual labourer in Charsadda
district.

As the Watan Card project winds down, the call centre will be
handed over to NADRA to disseminate information about various
social protection programmes, particularly those dealing with
livelihoods and poverty reduction. 

“For families who lost so much in the 2010 floods, knowing
what support they could get was critical.  It helped them to
plan, to avoid being abused, and to have a better chance of
rebuilding their lives. By supporting the Government of Pakistan,
IOM played an important role in helping vulnerable families know
how to access help and benefit from the Watan Card. It showed the
importance of relevant communication reaching communities affected
by a humanitarian crisis,” says Alexis Ferrand, a senior DFID
economist.

For more information please contact

Maria Ahmad

IOM Pakistan

Email: "mailto:m_ahmad@iom.int">m_ahmad@iom.int