The Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) consists of ten member Rural Support Programmes (RSPs) that espouse a common approach to rural development: social mobilization. Social mobilization centers on the belief that poor people have an innate potential to help themselves, that they can better manage their limited resources if they organize and are provided technical and financial support. The RSPs provide social guidance, technical and financial assistance to the rural poor. RSPN provides capacity building support to RSPs, and assists them in policy advocacy and donor linkages.

Set up by the RSPs in 2000, RSPN works closely with government, donors and communities to promote the RSP approach to community driven development that has significant pro-poor impacts. The RSPs have a long standing relationship with the Government of Pakistan, this is highlighted by the fact that five of RSPN’s partner RSPs have received substantial support and seed grants from the government, however they are all registered as not-for-profit organizations and are independent.

RSPN’s edge is its vast outreach to rural communities through the RSPs, its strong and influential relationship with government for impacting pro-poor public policy, and its central position that brings together over thirty years of knowledge in participatory development work with Pakistan’s rural communities. RSPs are local, flexible and responsive organizations, RSPs find localized community-based solutions to help take Pakistan’s development agenda forward.

The scale of RSP work now covers 4,401 union councils in 149 districts including the newly merge districts of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Frontier Regions (FR). Community Organisations now number 496,352 with a membership of over 8.4 million organised households, covering a population of 54 million.