ACT Dateline

Pakistan 0107

Assisting survivors through winter and toward work: ACT member continues recovery efforts after 2005 quake

By Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan communications staff

Northern Pakistan, January 12, 2007--In tent number 71 in Kashtera Camp near Balakot, the Hussain family huddles closely together to fight the cold. Arshad Hussain, his two wives, Saeeda and Farzana, his 5-year-old-son, Hassnain, and his 14-month-old daughter, Rimshah Bibi, have been living in the camp for a week.

The family’s house in the Kaghan Valley was destroyed in the powerful earthquake that struck along the border between Pakistan and India on October 8, 2005. After their temporary shelter, a tent, collapsed under a heavy layer of snow, they decided to seek refuge in the tent camp.

This is the second winter residents of the earthquake zone are facing since the disaster. The quake left more than 3 million people homeless. While many spent the warmer months of 2006 rebuilding their homes or constructing new ones, hundreds of thousands of survivors like the Hussain family are still without permanent shelter and are trying to cope with harsh weather conditions once again.

The family’s possessions - a few blankets, clothes, some pots and pans, and a gas cooker - are stacked in a corner of their tent. “The snow blocked the roads, and there was nothing left to eat,” Saeeda says. “We did not want to migrate, but we had no choice.”

When the Hussains and other families arrived at the camp, the Pakistan/Afghanistan program of Church World Service (CWS), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, provided them with a food package consisting of flour, rice, pulses, cooking oil, sugar, tea leaves, salt, matches and soap.

In addition to providing food packages, CWS-ACT is working in several other areas of the camp.

The 198 available tents, which were provided by another humanitarian-aid agency, were occupied within a few days after the camp opened. The camp’s management requested CWS-ACT to provide 200 shelter and food packages, which new arrivals receive. Current residents of the camp, some of whom are living in tents that have sprung leaks, will receive extra plastic sheets.

CWS-ACT also provides a basic health unit with five staff members and is responsible for water and sanitation, including water taps, latrines, washrooms and showers, and garbage and waste disposal management in the camp.

Livelihood training

Since the first days after the quake, CWS, with the support of ACT members around the world, has been assisting survivors with their emergency shelter and food needs. Another way that CWS-ACT has been assisting survivors is by providing vocational training to young men, giving them a means to earn an income and support themselves and their families again.

CWS-ACT has established three Construction Trades Training Centers (CTTCs) in the earthquake-affected areas. In the past six months, CWS-ACT has trained 434
young men in masonry, electrical works, plumbing, welding and carpentry. Upon graduation, trainees receive government-recognized diplomas and a toolbox.

Under the watchful eye of his supervisors, Abdul Azeem, a graduate of one of the training centers, pulls at a green plastic rope to erect the metal bars that will eventually form the rooftop of a new school in a remote area of Pakistan’s North Western Frontier Province (NWFP).

The skills of the 14 young men, who have been trained at the CWS-ACT centers, are being put to the test. They were asked by another church-based relief organization to demonstrate their abilities and put up a semi-permanent school structure within a day. If they succeed, they will be contracted to build at least ten temporary and 40 permanent schools in the remote Kund Valley. One permanent school can accommodate up to 160 pupils.

The model the men are building is earthquake-resistant and is approved by the Pakistani authorities. Moreover, the wooden walls are being filled with insulation so the buildings can be used during winter in high-altitude villages.

Abdul, who is from Bairkond and in his 30s, is currently a part-time taxi driver. He hopes he and his fellow construction workers are successful in obtaining the contract to construct the schools. “I drive because I must and because I have no other skills, but it is not where my heart lies. Now I have learnt a trade in which I can excel and improve myself. I know I am good at it, and I hope I will become a supervisor after some time,” he says.

“I would be very proud to help with the reconstruction of the earthquake-struck areas,” continues Abdul, whose house was damaged in the quake. “This is the passion behind my work. I want to construct buildings that can resist an earthquake, so
that this devastation is not caused again.”

Abdul’s fellow graduate, Arshad, was less fortunate. The 18-year old lost his mother, who was in Balakot at the time of the disaster. He feels a strong sense of responsibility for his family and wants to contribute toward the household’s expenses.

“I quit school because my marks were not so good, and after that I worked in my brother’s shop,” Arshad explains. “I feel lucky that I was able to learn these technical skills in carpentry. I hope I can earn a good living now. Two of my brothers have jobs, but they are married and have their own family to take care of. Another one is paralyzed. With my wages, I will assist my family in buying food and clothes.”

Arshad hopes to become a full-time carpenter in the future. “I like the work, and I can be involved in constructing houses that were damaged or destroyed.”

CWS-ACT will train and equip nearly 1,800 young survivors from earthquake-affected households and municipalities at several CTTCs established in areas of Mansehra and Battagram in NWFP.