A
month ago, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and International
Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies unloaded their
last truckload of relief supplies for the survivors of the October
2005 earthquake.
It marked the end of a major, nine-week “winter operation”
to address the immediate shelter needs of more than 127,000
vulnerable people in remote, snow-laden areas of the North West
Frontier Province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
It also signaled the end of our major relief distributions,
meaning that the International Federation can now turn its full
attention to the recovery and rehabilitation of Pakistan’s
quake-affected areas.
Of course, the Pakistan Red Crescent will continue to maintain
emergency relief stocks to assist people who may be affected
by future disasters, such as landslides or floods, since preparedness
is one of the cornerstones of making communities safer.
But for the hundreds of thousands of people, whose lives were
shattered by the 2005 quake, it is time to forge ahead in building
a brighter future.
Over the past year, relief and recovery efforts have been taking
place simultaneously, with more than 1.1 million people receiving
assistance from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement since the disaster struck.
The International Federation is also proud to have protected
tens of thousands of vulnerable people during two consecutive
winters, thanks to our distribution of 70,000 emergency winterized
tents, and another 35,000 “warm shelters”, which
can be assembled and built by survivors themselves.
It’s important to note that all of this work has been
done with the direct involvement of communities. We’ve
been working very hard to involve survivors in the relief and
recovery process, by listening to what they have to say, adapting
our assistance accordingly and encouraging them to take the
lead in rebuilding their lives. The feedback we’ve received
indicates that this is an approach that really works.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent recently conducted a survey,
which asked the survivors what types of assistance they hoped
to receive over the next five years.
Overwhelmingly, they said they wanted more vocational training,
reflecting a strong desire to regain their livelihoods. With
this in mind, the International Federation and the Pakistan
Red Crescent have tailored our recovery programmes to include
strong community participation and knowledge sharing.
For example, work is currently underway on a water and sanitation
project that aims to provide 160,000 people with a sustainable
supply of safe, clean drinking water.
Already, nearly 80,000 people are benefiting from water systems
that were repaired or reconstructed by the Red Cross and Red
Crescent. But we’ve been providing much more than pipes
and storage tanks – we’ve also been providing villagers
with the skills and know-how to maintain and repair the systems
themselves.
As part of the recovery programme, more than 4,000 people have
already received training and advice from agricultural specialists
on crop rotation and increasing harvest yields. In a region
subject to long, harsh winters and heavy, summer rains, this
kind of information is extremely valuable to rural farmers.
In addition to the training, around 4,500 farming families have
also received livelihoods assistance from the International
Federation in the form of seeds and fertilizers for two crop
cycles.
Quake survivors tell us this was the most important type of
livelihoods help they received during the first year after the
disaster.
Their voices can also be heard in the reconstruction process.
While the government is helping people rebuild their homes,
the Red Cross and Red Crescent is working with communities to
repair over 40 public buildings, including schools, colleges,
health centres, and community or vocational centres.
For example, the first public building project is a boys’
degree college in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which was destroyed
in the quake. Staff and students from the school were asked
for their views on its reconstruction, and their input has been
vital to ensuring that the design is appropriate and suits their
long-term needs.
In addition to recovery efforts, disaster preparedness work
is also gathering pace. Survivors of the quake are being trained
to deal with future catastrophes, while disaster preparedness
committees are being formed in villages across the country.
Having experienced the biggest emergency operation in its history,
the Pakistan Red Crescent is also increasing its levels of experienced
staff and trained volunteers at the community level.
All of these efforts are aimed at making sure that Pakistan’s
vulnerable communities are prepared to deal with other disasters,
and ready to face whatever challenges the future may hold.
|
 |
 |
|
|
The
International Federation and Pakistan Red Crescent delivered
supplies via helicopter to areas that were snowed-in or
too remote to access by road. This helicopter is carrying
sheets of corrugated iron, which are unloaded by local
volunteers from the Pakistan Red Crescent and staff from
the International Federation. (p15551) (Credit: Nathan
Cooper/American Red Cross)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Children
are taught English in an outside classroom in the village
of Bojri. Approximately 6,300 educational institutions
were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake. According
to Pakistan’s Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Authority (ERRA), almost 90 percent of these institutions
are now operational, though many are still outdoors or
in temporary structures, such as tents. (p15561) (Credit:
David Bebber/The Times)
|
|
|
 |
|
|
A
young man looks out from a tent in the town of Balakot
in north western Pakistan which is still recovering from
the effects of the earthquake in October 2005.(p15593)
(Credit: David Bebber/The Times)
|
|
|
 |
|
|
A
Red cross heath worker vaccinates a young boy in the village
of Thalus in the Allai Valley, North western Pakistan.
Since the beginning of the operation, the International
Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has provided basic
health care for almost half a million people in the North
West Frontier Province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
(p15594) (Credit: David Bebber/The Times)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
News
