After devastating 2022 floods, Sindh’s SPHF programme rebuilds 2.1 million climate-resilient homes, centring women’s leadership, dignity and justice to restore lives, communities and hope across Pakistan for future generations nationwide.
Pakistan’s Sindh province is rebuilding millions of lives shattered by the catastrophic floods of 2022 through what officials describe as the world’s largest post-disaster housing initiative, a programme that places women at the centre of recovery and climate resilience.
The Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) was launched after floods submerged nearly one-third of the country, affecting around 33 million people and displacing more than 8 million nationwide. Economic losses were immense, with damages estimated at 14.9 billion dollars, GDP losses at 15.2 billion dollars and rehabilitation needs at 16.3 billion dollars.
Sindh bore the heaviest impact. Across 24 districts, 12.36 million mostly marginalised people were severely affected, while 2.1 million homes were damaged or destroyed. Housing losses alone stood at 5.6 billion dollars, followed by agriculture, food, livestock and fisheries at 3.7 billion dollars and transport and communications at 3.3 billion dollars.
SPHF has since emerged as a flagship recovery effort, aiming to construct 2.1 million multi-hazard-resistant homes and climate-resilient settlements. The programme is expected to directly benefit more than 15 million people, a population larger than that of 154 countries.
Under the initiative, authorities have opened 1.5 million bank accounts, made 1.45 million financial disbursements, completed one million post-plinth stages and fully constructed 750,000 houses, according to SPHF officials.
“We are not just rebuilding houses. We are rebuilding lives with dignity, equity and resilience,” said Khalid Mehmood Shaikh, chief executive officer of SPHF, while representing the programme at a COP30 side event at the Pakistan stall this year.
He said the initiative embeds long-term security by issuing land titles in women’s names and using transparent digital payments. “By doing this, we are embedding justice into climate recovery,” he added.
A defining feature of SPHF is its focus on women as leaders of recovery rather than passive beneficiaries. Families receive direct financial assistance, giving them autonomy over house design, material procurement and hiring of local labour.
Among the beneficiaries is Kali, an elderly and uneducated woman from District Karo who heads a family of eight, including her widowed daughter-in-law and young grandchildren. During the floods, she lost not only her home but also her only adult son.
“My young son, the only male earning member of our family, died of malaria after the floods,” she said. “We could not even bring his body home until the waters receded.”
For Kali and her family, SPHF enabled them to rebuild their home from rubble, restoring safety and stability for the next generation.
In Himatabad, another SPHF-supported community, women have made decisions that extend beyond their own households. Ms Poonam and her family chose to donate their flood-damaged house to be converted into a community health centre.
“I am a victim of medical negligence. An infection cost me my leg,” she said. “I understand how critical access to healthcare is for our people. That is why we chose to transform the house into a facility for the entire community.”
Such stories were highlighted at the COP30 side event titled Women Leading Climate Action in Sindh through SPHF, which underscored how gender-responsive recovery can accelerate climate resilience.
From the devastation of the 2022 floods, SPHF has become a symbol of renewal in Sindh, rebuilding not just walls and roofs but also hope, dignity and a more resilient future for generations to come.
