April 20, 2006

“The coming days will be hard as the land must be planted while reconstruction work is going on, but we are strong people and we can do it,” says one of the affected people, writes Zahrah Nasir

Kamran Shah sips a steaming mug of hot chocolate with a beaming smile on his bearded face. From his point of view, the future is looking extremely rosy indeed. His eleven member family lost their home and most of their meager possessions in last October’s devastating earthquake along with almost 60 members of their immediate ‘clan’ and, whilst he will carry the invisible scars of this terrible loss to the end of his days, he still finds reason to look forward to the strenuous task of re-building that lies ahead.

An inhabitant of Alai valley, tehsil Battagram in the NWFP, Shah was not home when disaster struck as, like many of the men from this remote region, he was forced to leave in search of a job. “I left Alai when I was about fourteen,” he explains, “The family needed money to purchase more livestock, more land if possible and for medical treatment for my elders. Now in his early thirties, Kamran has spent more than half of his life away from Alai but his roots remain unbroken.

On the day following the earthquake, Shah heard that Alai was badly hit so immediately headed for home. What is normally a one day trip took almost eight days, most of it on foot and he had no idea what he would find on reaching home.

“Everything was gone and so many people were killed,” he continues. “Thanks to God my parents, my wife and other close family members were unhurt as they had all been out in the fields when the quake struck. Our animals, three buffaloes, two cows, a bull and some calves also survived. Not everyone was so lucky. At first we didn’t know what to do or how we could possibly survive, particularly with winter moving in. We live in the upper part of Alai and life is difficult there at all times of the year but particularly during winter.

“It took some time for help to reach us as all the roads were damaged. Then the army helicopters came but could not land as there was no place for them so they went to the nearest flat place, about half an hour walk away, and landed there with relief supplies for us. This was only the beginning, as soon as more helicopters became available and roads were unblocked, aid started pouring in at an unprecedented rate,” he says explaining the present condition of his family.

“Now we have more tents than we need and have enough blankets, quilts, mattresses, clothes and shoes to last for years. We were also given pick-axes, shovels, scythes, hammers, nails and tin sheets for winter protection plus a wood burning stove for cooking and heating along with cooking and serving utensils.”

His narrow face lights up with an inner glow as he adds, “The army also gave each person three maunds of flour, rice, oil, tea, sugar and other things, more than enough to last for three to four months and they have also stock-piled more food supplies in a central location just in case they are needed. We have never had so much food and other things in our lives!”

Then he throws in, “Some organisations have also helped and given us things. We have also received government compensation to start re-building in the spring and, for the first time, we have proper medical facilities available in Banna and also Karak which are just two hours drive away from our home.”

Before the onset of the freezing Himalayan winter, the government tried to convince people living at high altitudes or in remote locations, to move down into tented cities in the plains where they could be looked after until the spring. “Only three families in our scattered community decided to stay in the mountains for the winter,” Shah says. “The other seventeen or so families have taken up the offer and are spending the winter in tents in Thakot and Battagram areas. Most of the people from Alai have left and the valley is almost empty right now. When they left most of them could not take their surviving livestock with them. Buffaloes worth Rs40,000 – Rs50,000 were sold for only Rs5,000 at the most. I don’t know how they will purchase new animals when they come back and this will make conditions more difficult for them.”

Shah reveals that contrary to the aid that he and his family had received, people who went to live in the camps did not get those supplies. “The people who decided to be strong and stay in the mountains for the winter are better off than ever before. It is not so for those who chose the tents,” he says.

Kamran Shah is currently coming and going between Alai and his work in Bhurban. “My elder brother and one, a little younger, are there at the moment and will stay as long as possible as there is so much work to be done. I will go whenever I can but it is also important that I earn as much as possible to assist in building a new house and helping my family to make a better future. This coming year will be hard as the land must be planted at the same time reconstruction work is going on, but we are strong people and we can do it,” he says in a resolute tone.

 

Fatima’s determination …

Picking up the pieces

Fatima Bibi lived in a village, in district Mansehra before the earthquake. Now she lives in a camp near Balakot. Everyone who meets her admires her determination. Her story is unique because it is about her courage and determination to survive. On October 8 Fatima lost her house, livestock and crops due to the earthquake. Two of her sons and one daughter were severely injured. When no hope remained for surviving in their village they decided to leave. Now, she and her husband with their nine children are living in a single tent. As painful as her experience has been, she has faced these problems with bravery. In the camp, she received shelter, food, clothes and medical treatment. As soon as life reached some level of normalcy, she sent her husband back to the village to search for her most cherished belonging. It was her treasured sewing machine which was buried under the rubble. Although the sewing machine had been damaged, Fatima was determined to repair it herself. Not surprising to those who have met her, she succeeded in fixing her old machine. Now she is sewing clothes in the camp and earning enough money to support her family and meet their daily expenses. Although Fatima has gone through a tremendous loss, but her resilience and willpower have been an inspiration to all. She is happy and thankful that God has given her the opportunity to help her family and the people around her as well.  -–– Mahnaz Rahman

Nasreen is one of the many courageous earthquake survivors. Before the disaster she lived in Kanshian, a village in tehsil Balakot, district Mansehra. She was the sole breadwinner of her family and was responsible for taking care of her mentally ill husband and three daughters. On October 8, deadly tremors turned her house into a pile of rubble and also destroyed her entire livestock. Her land was also lost as a result of a massive landslide. She received serious backbone injuries due to it. Later she was shifted along with her family members to the Hassa tent village. Nasreen suffered from severe trauma and depression. In the camp she met a team of psychologists, who helped her to come out of this state of hopelessness. They helped her in rebuilding her confidence through counselling sessions and guidance. She has learnt to accept the changes in her life and is now working on resettling her family. She is currently learning vocational skills and seeking options for taking microcredit. She is planning to utilise that loan to purchase a sewing machine to make both ends meet. Though life has put up a mammoth challenge before her it has not broken her spirit. Her determination and willpower have helped her conquer this difficult time. Through her incredible strength, she has set up a brave example for many women who are facing similar problems after the earthquake.  — M. R.

 

Real life story

As Pakistan begins to focus on helping uprooted earthquake survivors return to their villages, humanitarian agency Church World Service is helping young men learn how to rebuild and gain new livelihood skills in a new construction trade training centre in Mansehra. At the centre, young men –– who have been living in tent villages following the devastating quake -–– are learning masonry, electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, and welding as part of the comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation programme in the region. Even as some groups prepare to face the future, others still need basic support. Over the last four months, a CWS psychosocial programme team has worked to restore the confidence of survivors. CWS Pakistan says, women who were traumatised and stigmatised in the initial days after the quake have now become more self-reliant and are ready to share personal stories and concerns more openly. The programme held individual counselling sessions at the Shohal Najaf, Hassa, and United tent villages. The psychosocial team also has been assisting quake-displaced women with income-generation projects, including a February handicraft exhibition in the Shohal Najaf tent village at which women exhibited and sold embroidery items, hand-made clothing and decorative pieces. In the Hassa tent village, the Service organised a men’s group meeting to discuss relocation and recovery plans, as residents are anxious about resettling in the villages. The psychosocial team provided two large tents for community meetings at Hassa camp to facilitate the registration process for camp families. The team continues to meet with individual households and to provide information. —–M. R.

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