Seven-year old Malayka jumped out of her bed early one recent morning, her eyes still adjusting from sleep but her mind already working, anticipating the big day ahead. It was to be the inauguration of the newly rebuilt school in the rugged Pakistani foothills of the Himalayas, and Malayka will be joining her schoolmates in a song-and-dance number.
Excited, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she skips to her closet, reaches for her beaded costume with matching headdress and white pair of shoes and socks. After scrutinizing each item, she lays them neatly on her bed, satisfied.
"Mother, do you think I will look pretty in my new clothes?" Malayka calls out to her mother in the kitchen preparing breakfast. "You will be your best, my dear," Ayan Fauza replies, amused by her daughter's excitement. "Now, come and take your breakfast."
Malayka has reason to be so thrilled. With the school knocked down by an earthquake three years ago and now rebuilt by the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and other benefactors, she and her friends in Balakot district in North West Frontier Province no longer have to attend classes under a tree or inside a tent.
Tearful memories on a day of joy
Standing squarely on a seismic fault line, schools and other infrastructure in the district, including her school, the Government Middle Girls School, were severely damaged by the powerful earthquake that shook Pakistan in October 2005, but the post-disaster reconstruction effort has gradually brought many changes.
Malayka has been eagerly looking forward to this day. Kousar Jahan, a teacher at her school for the past six years, looks back: "It was difficult, especially during winter. That earthquake broke down the educational system in Balakot."
"Worse, it took the lives of eight of our co-teachers and caused serious injuries to 14 others," adds English teacher Sima. As she enters the school gate with Malayka, Ayan Fauza overhears the conversation. Her face turns gloomy. She closes her eyes tightly and bents her head backward holding back tears. The face of her then six-year old son had suddenly flashed in her mind.
She remembers running the 10 miles to the boys' school to look for her son when the earthquake struck. He was nowhere to be found. Several hours later, his body was retrieved from under the rubble. "He, too, would be happy for Malayka if he were alive today," Ayan Fauza murmurs.
Modern schools to inspire students
"It's amazing," Malayka suddenly wags her mother's skirt wildly, startling Ayan Fauza from her momentary brooding. "This is just fantastic." She gasps for breath in admiration of her new school beckoning proudly.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Malayka's classmates exclaim. "Wait till you get inside," enthuses her best friend, Hajira. "It's really awesome – big rooms, wide desks, clean toilet, ceiling fan and wide corridors," Hajira continues, gesturing with both arms excitedly.
Ayan Fauza feels mesmerized by the new structure - stronger, bigger, more spacious, better ventilated and equipped with modern facilities. She is speechless. The Government Middle Girls School is the first school to be completed and turned over to the local government by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). It is one of 16 schools set to be completed by the Red Cross Red Crescent by the end of 2009, along with 12 health facilities and eight vocational training centres at the earthquake's worst-hit areas in the North West Frontier Province and the Pakistan-administered Kashmir Province.
Standing along Balakot roadside with the Himalaya towering behind, Malayka’s new school has eight classrooms, each of which can accommodate 24 to 30 students. It has a wide entrance hall, two wide staircases, a laboratory, a principal's office, a staff room and washrooms. "We build schools that can inspire students, give hope, motivate, instill pride and bring back the glory of Pakistan," says Cormac Rooney, a construction delegate for IFRC.
An international effort
The reconstruction projects, all designed to be earthquake-resistant, are funded by the National Societies from the USA, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and China. Other partners in reconstruction projects are the Taiwan Red Cross and the Hong Kong branch of the Red Cross Society of China.
Cormac says reconstruction poses the biggest challenge in the post-earthquake recovery operation due to the large number of schools destroyed. The challenges include poor accessibility to numerous remote project sites, extreme weather conditions, and lack of skilled workers. "It took time to take off," says Cormac. "But, the best doesn't come easy after the crisis, does it?"
Cormac smiles and turns around to take pictures of Malayka and her classmates performing on stage, beaming with pride, under the bright light of the smiling morning sun.
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GMGS (Government Middle Girls School) has eight classrooms that can accommodate 24 to 30 students each. (p18446)
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Construction workers check every detail in the classroom to ensure nothing goes wrong. (p18445)
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Hajira is thrilled by her newly rebuilt school and looks forward to the opening of classes soon. (p18441)
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Malayka kisses her mother Ayan Fauza for good luck, before she goes on stage to perform. (p18444)
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Children perform a welcome number during the inauguration ceremony. (p18448)
Cormac Rooney, construction delegate for the Federation chats with the girls as they wait for the school inauguration to start. (p18443)
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