Tayyab Syed is Karavan Leaders’ founder and managing director. A soft spoken man with a deep passion for his homeland, Tayyab has traveled extensively in Pakistan and throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.

Born in Mardan in the North West Frontier Province, Tayyab went to school in Peshawar and later joined the Edwards College where he graduated in political science and philosophy.

After working for some time in his family handicraft export business Tayyab decided to concentrate on a career in tourism and after being selected for advanced mountaineering training in France, became a qualified mountain guide.

However this was only the beginning of what has become a life-long love affair with the mountains. He has climbed to 7600m on Tirch Mir and during his seven years of running his own company and before that while working for a reputed tour operator, has explored the most remote corners of his country. He speaks Pushtu, Urdu, English, Punjabi and several local dialects. Tayyab enjoys working in a business that can both support his family and enable him to do something he loves — explore the wild mountains & deserts and introduce visitors to Pakistan. He also has a growing interest in anthropology, history, philosophy and especially in the traditional music of the sub-continent and Sufism — the mystic side of Islam.

(Source: http://www.karavanleaders.com/home_main.htm)

SRSP

SRSP was established with the blessing of government of NWFP and the "seed money" provided by USAID in 1989-90. It began its operations with a Head Office and field operations in Kohat and Charsadda in 1990.

 

USAID assistance was discontinued in 1992 because of the Pressler Amendment. Novib, a Dutch NGO, provided assistance to SRSP both at the Head Office and Charsadda between 1992 and 2000. Additional help came from the government when SRSP was contracted to implement the Mansehra Village Support Project of government of NWFP in Mansehra and Battagram Districts in 1993.

 

The government also contracted SRSP to work on the Barani One (BADP) Project in Kohat and Abbottabad Districts in 1993 and 1997 respectively.

 

In 2000 the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund provided assistance at the field level to SRSP for capacity building, infrastructure development and human resource development in all its existing districts to ensure that there was no discontinuity in the Programme. (except Charsadda and Kohat).

 

Two new districts were added to the programme, Peshawar and Nowshera in 2001 with the assistance of PPAF.

In 2002 DFID initiated a two-year programme for Capacity Building of SRSP Programme.

 

This Project not only built its individual capacity but also provided assistance for the Head Office and
also its Kohat Region. It also enabled SRSP to create greater depth and quality in its programme and to add new competences in governance, education and small enterprise development to the competencies it already had.

 

 

 

During this phase SRSP also implemented a Community Infrastructure Initiative Project with DFID assistance in eleven districts of NWFP. In 2003 SRSP was also engaged by DFID to provide technical assistance to the Rural Water and Supply Project RWWSP) of Government of NWFP and also to build capacity of the Tehsil Municipal Administrations(TMA) in community infrastructure development.

 

In 2003 the government of NWFP also contracted SRSP to implement the Barani Area Development Project Phase Two in seven districts of NWFP where SRSP was already working with the assistance of PPAF.

 

During this period SRSP has also been engaged by SDC to implement projects in Natural Resource Management and USAID to fund Education Project in Dir and a Public Private Partnership Programme across the province, and by the UNDP funded EIROP and Asian Development Bank to fund a councillors training programme. SRSP has also been involved implementing DFID and UNDP funded Lachi Poverty Alleviation Project since 1997. SRSP has also received support from GEP Programme of DFID and Page Programme of CIDA for its Enterprise Development Programme. Learning for Life provides important support for its education programme.

 

For more information visit:

http://www.rspsarhad.org/files/file.asp?a=aboutsrsp

(Source: SRSP. © Reproduced with authorization of SRSP.)