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PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES AT SARID

SARID aims to become an informed guide to sustainable development and technology strategies for the region. We pursue our objectives through:

Projects
Forums, Courses and Workshops
Research, Collation and Dissemination
Policy Reports, Research Papers and Articles

• Projects

SARID creates and supports innovative, appropriate small- and medium-scale efforts that embrace research, intermediate technology, vocational training and education. We aspire to increase local involvement by employing indigenous resources.

To contribute your time or funds to these projects, please see Support Us

Piecemakers - vocational training for underpriviled women
Shah Public Secondary School - schooling for underprivileged children
Calpentyn - afforable housing/small wind energy scheme
SARID website - information center for sustainable development

January 2003
SARID recently launched a quilting project, “Piecemakers”, to educate women from impoverished areas in needlework skills as a reliable way to earn income and become self-reliant.

The objective was to train the women in the art of American quilting, keeping their requirements and resources in mind while building on their knowledge of indigenous appliqué practices.

Employing new techniques and tools speeds up the sewing and assembly of patchwork quilts into bedspreads, bags, purses etc. Instruction in Urdu and mathematics is provided where necessary to aid the quilters in teaching and in selling their products at local bazaars.

May 2003
This co-educational school is run in two sections. The morning secondary school, which conducts classes up to Matriculation, is owned and administered by Mr. Shaukat Rehman Shah.

SARID funds and manages the afternoon session for about 100 students, ranging from kindergarten to grade five. Children who wish to continue their education beyond this point to Matriculation are financially supported through a program initiated by SARID.

The afternoon school is run solely on the money collected through donations. This includes the salaries of the teachers, student uniforms and all school supplies.

January 2003
SARID is outlining a project to provide a remote peninsula in Sri Lanka with affordable housing coupled to small-scale wind energy generation.
The aim of the project is to design housing & energy resources appropriate to local climate and needs as highlighted by the inhabitants.

Regional household electrical appliances currently use automotive batteries. Introducing wind turbines for battery recharging will dispense with the arduous ferry-ride to a distant locality for the same purpose.

The venture thus builds on locally familiar technology in order to improve the lives of the populace as well as to gradually establish sustainable practices in the community.

October 2002
SARID is involved in an ongoing project to build a web-based resource center for small-scale sustainable development.

The website distinguishes between crucial regional developmental sectors to present current concerns, issues, strategies, projects, participants and other pertinent information.

We also post links to aid in finding relevant resources and organizations.

• Forums, Courses and Workshops

SARID Organizes in-house and web-based opportunities for the direct exchange of knowledge and experience regarding specific sustainable development concerns, solutions, projects and programs for researchers, practitioners and decision makers.

Interfaith Dialogue
English Language Courses
Cultural Bridges

Professor Akbar Ahmed
We recently co-sponsored an event in the Anti-Defamation League Speaker Series Hate & Hope, by Professor Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies & Professor of International Relations at American University in Washington D.C., and advisor to SARID.

Other organizations involved included the American Islamic Congress, American Jewish Committee and Jewish Community Relations Council, Brookline, Massachusetts, USA

By Akbar Ahmed
Islam Under Siege, (AU, 2003)
A Glow on Capitol Hill (RNS, 2003)
Between Hope and Despair (RNS, 2003)
Interfaith Passover Seder (RNS 2003)
Discovering Islam, 2002

English Language Courses

Teaching basic skills to recent Asian immigrants in the USA as a model for similar work in South Asia

EN01 Basic English

Dr. Jilani Warsi

Course Description
This course is designed to help students with a minimal level of proficiency to become more fluent and clear in writing, reading, speaking, and listening. From basic vocabulary development and pronunciation through the study of fundamental grammatical structures, successful students in this course will acquire a mastery of basic English. In order to gain greater insight into American culture, students will need to examine and present different points of view, argue for them, listen to others, and mutually refine ideas. Writing and presentation assignments are designed to help students find their voices in English through exploring public places, personal experiences, and responding to the experiences of others.

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. increase fluency in thinking in English, and in reading and writing, listening and speaking.
2. develop an understanding of basic grammar and vocabulary.
3. develop skills in presenting and understanding points of view.
4. develop an ability to use knowledge of grammar and vocabulary in real situations.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Other Courses by Jilani Warsi:
61.901 Language Structures, Costa Rica

SARID co-sponsored an evening hosted by the PAGB (Pakistani Association of Greater Boston) on the land & culture of Pakistan. The program included the screening of three short documentaries, One of which won a Silver Award at the Sony Film Festival (1999). A discussion with the director Huma Beg, was followed by a sitar recital by Pakistani artiste Ikhlaq Husein.

This event was also co-sponsored by PAKSMIT (Pakistani Association of students at MIT).

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Huma Beg & Serendip Productions, Pakistan
Serendip Productions, Pakistan
Serendip joins Asia Pacific VRC network (TVE 2002)
1st Karafilm Festival (2001)
UN: Net narrows gender gap (Wired, 2000)
SMEs: the UN Global Compact

• Research, Collation and dissemination

SARID collates and distributes information on sustainable development and technology projects, research and literature through web links and publications.

We also assemble directories of significant institutions, agencies, personnel, and resources to enable regions to find relevant approaches, organizations, partners or funding.

This information can be found under relevant sections throughout the SARID website.

We invite interested parties to submit papers and articles on topics on or related to sustainable development to editors@sarid.net (see Submissions for guidelines).

• Policy Reports, Research Papers and Articles

SARID provides original analyses, strategies and practical solutions for long-range development and technology planning commensurate with sustainable regional development and environmental resource protection.

These publications can also be found under relevant sections throughout the SARID website.

We invite interested parties to submit papers and articles on topics on or related to sustainable development to editors@sarid.net (see Submissions for guidelines).

Piecemaking: Vocational Training for Underprivileged Women in Pakistan
By Salma Shakir, SARID Project Coordinator, June 2003

Waste: A Global problem
by Vinod Moonesinghe, SARID project coordinator for Sri Lanka, May 2003

Dolphins, War & the Environment
by Vinod Moonesinghe, SARID project coordinator for Sri Lanka, May 2003

Ants & Humans: Flood Defence in a Wetter World
by Vinod Moonesinghe, SARID project coordinator for Sri Lanka, May 2003

Housing Design for Hot Arid Regions
By Javed Sultan, AIA, SARID Executive Director, May 2003

The Use of Ultraviolet Radiation for Controlling Microbiological Fouling in a Wastewater System
By Arif Jaffer, Baker Petrolite, December 2002