Building and Construction Improvement Program

The Building and Construction Improvement Program (BACIP) is a program of the Aga Khan Planning and Building Service, Pakistan (AKPBS,P) that is engaged in developing and promoting solutions to housing and built environment-related issues of rural communities living in Gilgit-Baltistan and the province of Sindh.

Since 1997, BACIP has benefited over 150,000 people from the installation of over 36,000 smokeless stoves, water-warming facilities, and other energy-efficient products. The program has trained over 6,400 construction craftsmen and entrepreneurs.

Poor villages in the northern regions of Pakistan experience problems related to housing and living conditions. Some of the core problems are:

In general, over 15% of the household expenditure and around 50% of disease morbidity in the region were directly attributable to poor housing conditions, most of which were avoidable. Keeping these issues in view, the Building and Construction Improvement Program (BACIP) set out to improve the living condition by developing several home–improvement products that mitigated the negative impact of planning and building inefficiencies on these traditional households and lessened the burden on the surrounding environment. BACIP also attempted to reduce the cost and increase the affordability of better housing conditions.

BACIP works to improve the built environment by focusing on a participatory approach. This means that the program team works with the local people to develop products that can address housing issues such as fuel-efficient stoves, water warming facilities, solar cookers and geysers, roof hatch windows and more. AKPBS,P can market these products through village resource people. This provides income-earning opportunities for the locals while promoting products that can greatly improve the quality of their lives.

Studies have shown significant impact of BACIP products on poverty alleviation, environment conservation, health improvement, and seismic vulnerability reduction. Since most of the household chores (collection of firewood, dusting, and minor house repairs) are undertaken by females, BACIP impacts gender issues at the strategic level.

In 2003, BACIP partnered with the First MicroFinance Bank, an institution of the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance, to provide micro-credit facilities to homeowners for the purchase of BACIP products. This unique program was one of the first initiatives in Pakistan geared toward relatively small investments that increased the accessibility of BACIP in the target area.

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