
EU- Community Driven Local Development
The Community Driven Local Development (EU-CDLD) was an initiative of EU & SRSP in support of Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s District Governance and Community Development Programme (DGCD). This Euro 7.5 million programme was implemented in 238 Union Councils of 7 districts of Malakand Division including Buner, Chitral, Dir Lower/Upper, Malakand, Shangla and Swat. It had four major components; Social Mobilization, Capacity Building of LG representatives, Village Development Planning & Technical Support in designing community physical infrastructure.
The four years programme (2015-2019) benefited approx. 1 million population & had a strategic importance of supporting GoKP’s District Governance and Community Development Programme (DGCD).

4 major components & achievements
- The programme created awareness regarding CDLD in over 270,000 HHs and fostered 4,623 community-based women & men institutions with 117,300 households as its members.
- EU-CDLD enhances capacity of 3,801 elected members on Local Governance & Grassroots Development. The program in close coordination with the LGE&RDD department developed financial management training manual/module and enhanced the capacity of 1,492 VC’s Nazimeens & Secretaries. SH workshops & exposure visits were held to share information and to encourage learning from a diverse range of experiences.
- EU-CDLD organized orientation workshops attended by elected representatives and organized communities. As a result, 926 VC/NC level development plans were developed & presented.
- EU-CDLD conducted surveys of 5,679 schemes; out of these, 4,560 schemes were socially, economically, technically & environmentally feasible, for which detailed proposals were developed/submitted to be reviewed/approved by Technical Evaluation and District Development Committees
Supporting the broader reform agenda, The DGCD Programme builds on KP’s CD Local Development Policy framework to empower poor local communities to determine their development path, rebuild trust between state & citizens, & curb militancy.
Some Outcomes of the programme
- EU CDLD has contributed immensely in improving socio-economic well-being of 677,000 local men & women population & lifting them out of poverty in Malakand division.
- 98% CBOs in programme areas reported an increase in interaction with local/provincial authorities for social and economic development of their respective areas.
- 39% of CBOs undertook local initiatives with government/non-government actors beyond CDLD funds.
- 926 VC/NCDPs developed/integrated into district development strategies
- EU-CDLD provided basic services to 14% of total population in Malakand Division via involving and engaging communities at local level. Over 4,500 schemes have been initiated & implemented benefiting 117,000 households.

Key Achievements of EU-CDLD
Social Mobilization | Capacity Building of Elected Representatives | Village Development Plans | Community Physical Infrastructure |
---|---|---|---|
4,623 CBOs with 117,300 members |
3,801 LG representatives trained on CDLD |
926 VC/NC development plans prepared |
5,679 Feasibility surveys conducted |
9,894 members received Managerial skills trgs |
1,492 LG representatives tnd. on Fin. Management |
4,560 proposals submitted |
|
603 Master Trainers |
90 workshops & visits |
926 VC/NC plans integrated into dist. development strategies |
4,854 members trained on O&M |
EU-CDLD approach-efficient & effective
An assessment compared infrastructure schemes implemented through LG system and community approaches in 24 village councils & 6 districts of Malakand Division. Key findings comprised;
- The participating V/NCs shared that process under LG is complicated and time consuming.
- Limiting factors identified comprised meagre funding, cumbersome ADP process, tendering & involvement of contractors. In comparison, community based approaches were cost efficient & effective. Participating V/NC shared that cost of EU-CDLD is 40% less in comparison to a similar scheme implemented through local contractor.
- Another important difference is the establishment of proper O&M mechanism for scheme under SRSP community approach (including CDLD).
