The
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
and the Pakistan Red Crescent are distributing shelter materials
and relief items in earthquake-affected areas of northern Pakistan
to help still-vulnerable families survive the cold months ahead.
Snow has fallen in the higher altitudes and hundreds of thousands
of people are still without permanent shelter more than a year
after the October 2005 earthquake.
Red Cross and Red Crescent distributions began in early December
around the devastated town of Balakot and are due to continue
until the end of January. Shelter and basic relief items will
be given out to 13,500 families, or close to 100,000 people,
across the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Pakistan-administered
Kashmir.
As conditions worsen, aid agencies are finding it increasingly
difficult to transport supplies to remote areas. The International
Federation and the Pakistan Red Crescent are expected to use
helicopters, supplied by the United Nations Humanitarian Air
Services, for distributions in rural locations this month.
A key component of the distributions is corrugated galvanized
iron sheets, which are used to improve shelters, as well as
repair kits, quilts, blankets, and tarpaulins. These items will
be given to people who have not yet received enough assistance
to get them through the winter.
The task is an urgent one. Pakistan Red Crescent Field Officer,
Irfan Hameed, warns that conditions will be extremely challenging
judging by the earlier-than-usual snowfalls in the Allai Valley
in northern Pakistan.
“It will be a harsh winter this year, harsher than the
previous one,” he says.
“Last winter we saw winterized tents collapsing in heavy
snow, but this year we are giving out corrugated galvanized
iron sheets which are more durable than the tents,” he
adds.
Sixty-year-old Mast Alam, a grocer and head of a family of 12,
is still living in a tent in the village of Shohal Najaf near
Balakot – nearly 15 months after the disaster.
He says the iron sheets he has received will be vital in helping
him improve his shelter situation.
“I am asthmatic and it was very difficult for me to cope
with the cold last year… I will be constructing my shelter
in a week so that I am able to survive the cold. It was a blessing
for me to have them in time,” he says.
Like Mast Alam and his family, many quake survivors still face
desperately difficult conditions, with the bitter chill of Himalayan
winds adding to the challenge of survival. Muhammad Asif, who
lives in Patlang village north of Balakot, is bracing for a
tough time.
The 37-year-old lost his wife in the quake and is now bringing
up his two young children alone, while caring for his elderly
parents. He continues gathering wood as he tells of his concerns
about how his family will cope.
“My father got pneumonia last winter and the temperatures
weren’t even as cold as they are this year,” he
says. “We are lucky to get assistance… the iron
sheets and kitchen sets are of very good quality, which makes
a difference. We are also glad to be treated with care and respect
by the volunteers from the Pakistan Red Crescent.”
While conditions are tough for everyone during winter in northern
Pakistan, the snow and freezing temperatures are particularly
hard on vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, children and
especially women, who can find it difficult to get access to
the help they’re entitled to because of cultural attitudes.
Irfan Hameed says this is of particular concern to the International
Federation and the Pakistan Red Crescent.
“We work hard to ensure that we abide by cultural norms
and pay careful attention to local customs. For example, we
have worked out a system by which a male family or community
member is nominated to collect items on behalf of women, especially
widows. This approach has been warmly welcomed in the community,”
he explains.
“We have also established a good relationship with village
elders and clerics, which allows us to work with them as a partner
and enables us to ensure that assistance reaches the people
who need it most.”
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Sixty-year-old
Mast Alam, who suffers from asthma, signs up for his supply
of corrugated iron sheets, which he says will help protect
his family of 12 from the freezing temperatures. (p15285)
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A
total of 135,000 sheets of corrugated galvanized iron
are being distributed to 13,500 families across the North
West Frontier Province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir
to help families improve their shelters through the winter.
Here volunteers ready sheets for distribution in Shoal
Najaf near Balakot. (p15284)
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Muhammad
Asif stockpiles wood to burn. He says the assistance he
recently received from the Red Cross and Red Crescent
will be a big help, but he fears this winter will be more
severe than last year. (p15286)
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