SADP Development Projects - Tsunami Appeal

South Asian Earthquake

Pakistan Earthquake Relief - Update: February 2006

On behalf of our partners we would like to thank everyone who has continued to donate money for the relief effort in Pakistan. We recently sent an additional £12,500 to People International (PI) for their work. Funds are still needed, as small local organisations like PI don’t have access to the large amounts being given by foreign governments, but very much value your donations, which they can quickly channel directly to projects on the ground and see the immediate impact.

This is the first time PI has been able to work in Azad Kashmir, which had been completely closed for security reasons prior to the earthquake. Their presence there now as a Christian organisation working among Muslims has helped break down barriers and ease suspicion between the two communities. Local people say “none of your people are killed here – why do you come to help us?” and have commented on the love and care shown by PI and their partners.

PI is working in Azad Kashmir through Pakistan Mission Trust (PMT), in a joint project with several other agencies. PMT is now well established in the area, with good rapport with the local authorities, Mullahs and local communities and are responsible for two relief camps. In a recent briefing the Military Commander of the area commented that he has been very impressed with these two camps: they never asked for resources from him but their standards of sanitation, water supply and food supplies are all excellent. He regards them as a model to the other camps and projects which he oversees in the area.

The immediate needs in the camps are for food supplies and insulated mattresses, which will partly be met by your donations. In the longer term, clinics have already been set up in the camps, and there are also plans to establish a school and further clinics outside. As yet, no doctors have been found to work in these clinics, which is an urgent priority.

PI has been trying to help survivors continue with life as best as possible in the tent villages.

They provided Sabir, a tailor by trade, with a sewing machine, so he could provide a service to the new village community.

Yusaf's daughter was due to get married the day after this photo was taken of him and his son Asif. He had no money for the dowry, so PI provided a tent and kitchen facilities to prevent disgrace.

Many of the people whose lives have been impacted by your donations are living in the harshest and most isolated areas and would otherwise have been excluded by other relief efforts.

A total of £25,500 has so far been sent to our partners in Pakistan for the earthquake relief effort. THANK YOU.

All photographs are copyright of People International.

Pakistan Earthquake Relief - Update: December 20, 2005

Kunhar Christian Hospital (KCH) really proved to be a beacon of light in a devastated area. Just 10 miles from the epicentre, after the earthquake struck it was the only hospital in the area with buildings, staff and electricity. The staff quickly went to work tending and supporting the survivors, while also having to cope with the damage sustained by the hospital itself, which has already resulted in the demolition of 2 staff houses.

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake the hospital opened its facilities to everyone, providing not only free healthcare, including surgery, but also food, blankets, tents and assisted in clearing debris.

Quake 2005 KCH’s work has gone beyond the boundaries of the hospital, as they helped establish the tent city just outside the hospital grounds for the many villagers who had lost their homes. They also realised the need to focus supplies on the areas high up in the mountains, some of which were even inaccessible to jeeps and helicopters – “ Walking on foot and bringing the people carried in beds for miles and miles and with days of travel is the only way”.

The hospital has been conducting clinics in villages in the surrounding areas and assisting in digging wells in neighbouring villages, as well as providing food and supplies. Dr Haroon described the opportunity to visit some of these remote areas as ‘once in a lifetime’ due to the difficulty of reaching these places even in normal circumstances, not only because of the harsh terrain but the fact that the hospital staff had been regarded by some locals as ‘infidels’.

WHAT NEXT?

Water supply: The earthquake damaged the water supply to many villages, so KCH has pledged to provide the necessary funds for wells and pipes for villages within a 5 mile radius of the hospital.

Housing assessment: KCH are hoping to help people in the immediate area around the hospital, by supporting them build at least one room so they have a better shelter in the winter.

Reconstruction and repairs of the hospital buildings: Among other things, the staff housing area has to be demolished and rebuilt.

“Kunhar Christian Hospital is a miracle story if there ever was one!.. and its service to the people of the town of GHU and the surrounding area truly spells out being salt and light. …The goodwill that the hospital has generated in the aftermath of the earthquake is far beyond what they had built up in the last sixteen years…” Michael Abel

“This is a historical response to a historical disaster”
Dr Haroon, KCH

Bach Christian Hospital (BCH)

Quake 2005 One of the biggest obstacles facing relief agencies has been the procurement and distribution of goods to those who need it most, so though further away from the epicentre than KCH, Bach Christian Hospital’s location on the Karakoram Highway provides an ideal staging point for the distribution of goods to affected families in remote regions of the Kaghan valley. These survivors have generally been unable to access supplies brought by truck or helicopter by aid agencies and the Pakistan Army, who have been focussing their efforts on the more populated areas of Balakot and Muzzafarabad.

In phase 1 of their relief plan, BCH responded to the immediate needs of survivors, treating the many wounded villagers who had come to them from the valley, most of whom had sustained orthopaedic injuries. As well as providing free medical care, the hospital also gave away relief packages to each patient and their accompanying relatives, who took the supplies back to their remote villages. The patients were also able to share which villages had a particularly acute need, enabling the hospital to provide extra supplies to these areas. In the first 10 days of operation, 300 of the packages, which included tents, blankets and food, were distributed.

WHAT NEXT?

In phase 2, BCH has been continuing to treat survivors, far more than the hospital was designed for, and is providing them with special relief packages for the winter, which include winterised tents, food, clothing, cooking equipment and if needed, money to assist them in travelling back to their villages.

The focus of this second phase will be on those areas that have been identified by patients and their relatives as both badly damaged by the earthquake, and out of reach of the bulk of other aid initiatives. An expert in disaster management from Sweden has been contacted to provide expertise for the planning and execution of Phase 2. BCH also hopes to provide money and material for reconstruction of houses that have been destroyed.

Michael Abel, People International (PI)

The urgent need to supply tents to earthquake survivors has in part been met by PI, who have been supplying tents to both KCH and BCH, as well as Pakistan Mission Trust (PMT), which has been working in Northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. In all about 1,250 tents have been distributed by Michael.

WHAT NEXT?

PI are currently assessing the situation in the north of the country, as more durable and weather resistant structures of fibre glass, metal and wood, are being looked at. They are also considering partnering with KCH and PMT to set up a clinic and become more engaged in relief camps, which may involve feeding people, school support and other kinds of support.

Quake 2005
Tent cities are springing up throughout Pakistan. While helping to provide people with shelter for the winter, providing sanitary facilities and clean water is a huge challenge. Whole clans and villages are moving together into the tent cities. However, they are not socially acceptable to most of these mountain people, especially the women. As they travel, many of these families are selling or killing their animals because there is not enough pasture or fodder to keep them alive.

Pakistan Earthquake Relief - Update: November 11, 2005

Michael writes after a recent visit to the earthquake affected areas in North Pakistan:

"I have been back from the earthquake affected area for about four days but am at a loss as to what to write. Four weeks after the event I felt so overwhelmed by the destruction that I cannot even begin to imagine what the people went through at the moment the earthquake occurred. The devastation, the magnitude of destruction, the plight of the affectees, the needs of the people and the loss of infrastructure is beyond putting into words. And yet, life must go on. The Pakistan Army and scores of local and international NGOs and thousands of volunteers are desperately trying ways to bring normalcy to the area. But what is normalcy? In Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, thousands of men sit ringing the stadium watching helicopters fly out and back in because there is nothing else for them to do. Businesses have been destroyed, shops knocked down, more than a quarter of the population decimated and destruction so complete people don't know where to begin the work of clean up. Mountains that encircle the city bear white marks where landslides flowed carrying whole localities into the Jehlum river or burying communities under the rubble. A TV interviewer putting a question to the Prime Minister addressed him as, "Mr Prime Minister..." who retorted without the question being completed, "Prime Minister of what? This graveyard?"

Yet, there is activity in Muzaffarabad. The work of clearing and cleaning up is in slow progress. The Pakistani and Azad Kashmir governments are coming to terms with the event and are in action to meet the immediate needs of the people that are accessible. Parts of the Neelum Valley are still not open to road traffic and helicopters are the only lifeline for the thousands who live in the high Himalayan foothills. The setting in of winter is making matters difficult but the Army is working round the clock to open all the roads and tracks so that people can be reached. In Muzaffarabad I met with the military leaders and an Additional Chief Secretary of the AK Government to find ways in which we can assist. There is an open door to set up clinics and schools and I am in the process of discussing with like-minded friends how we can provide needy services to the people of Azad Kashmir.

Balakot, a town in northern Pakistan is a ghost town. Ninety percent of it was devastated. I have heard friends describe that city, or what remains of it, but I didn't have the time or the heart to visit there. I had taken my camera along but apart from a few pictures of the damage to a hospital I did not have it in me to photograph the macabre scenes of destruction which even now smell of the unreclaimed bodies buried in the rubble. Normally, I am quite stout hearted and blood and gore don't faze me but this was beyond anything I had seen or experienced or ever want to.

Kunhar Christian Hospital (KCH) is a miracle story if there ever was one! The only hospital left standing (though severely damaged) in that region of northern Pakistan. In KCH I met with many local and expatriate volunteers who are working there to provide services from medical care to collecting rubbish, and all done with a smile. The hospital is conducting clinics in villages in the surrounding areas, assisting in digging wells in the neighbouring villages and providing food and supplies to whole villages. KCH had recently built the hospital building, a chapel and doctors residences all of which have been severely damaged and will need to be pulled down and rebuilt. The doctor and his wife are showing a lot of courage in the face of all this devastation.

A short visit to Bach Hospital in Qalandarabad was an encouragement. Many of the 650 tents we had supplied to Bach for distribution were being handed out. Even as we were there jeeps laden with tents and supplies were leaving the hospital heading for villages and localities in the hills where people had lost all that they owned. It was good to see that Bach is being well served by many agencies.

Another great encouragement was a visit to Abbottabad where local people have risen to the challenge and formed a partnership to provide relief to the affected people. Headed by a young graduate they are working alongside other agencies in surveying affected areas and providing relief to the people there.

Spending a night under canvas brought home in a special way what many of my compatriots in that part of the country are going through. And experiencing a 6.0 size earthquake while inside a severely damaged building at KCH vividly burned into my memory how fast I can still move at nearly 52 despite aching joints and a bad back!

Yesterday, we delivered another 200 winterized tents to Abbottabad. This brings the tally to 850 tents supplied so far. A further order for 200 will be delivered on Monday November 14. This is due to your generosity. Thank you all for standing with us in this difficult time in our national history.

Pakistan Earthquake Relief - Update: November 1, 2005

A brief update from MIchael, one of our partners in the relief efforts in Pakistan:

"Thank you for your kind and generous donation for the earthquake relief work in northern Pakistan. We have so far been able to send 350 tents and another 300 will be leaving tonight. A further 200 have been ordered today. This latter order is for double fly tents which are 'winterised' ones and what are needed at this present time of winter. Many people are still out under the sky without any shelter."

A Race to Save the Survivors in Pakistan - Update: 23rd October 2005

As winter approaches the most urgent priority is providing shelter for the millions who have been made homeless by the South Asian earthquake, most of them in Pakistan.

“The need here is greater than the existence of tents in the world."
--UN Emergency Response, Islamabad (BBC News, Oct 17)

"The gravity of the situation is not getting through…
I just get the perception that the message is not getting realized."
--UN Coordination Center, Muzaffarabad (NY Times, Oct 18)

Few medical supplies and no anesthetics in Balakot
--(c) New York Times, Reproduced from the ICA Website

Given the remote locations, the rugged terrain and the difficult weather conditions, the response within the country has been remarkably effective – but enormous needs remain and the concern is now for the survivors.

We are partnering with three small NGOs that are already engaged hands-on with the local situation and working in close co-operation.

Kunhar Christian Hospital, Garhi Habib Ullah, is just ten miles from the epicentre of the earthquake.

Bach Christian Hospital, Abbotabad - 74 miles from the epicentre.

Michael Abel of St Andrew’s Church in Lahore has been mobilising resources for these two hospitals and others in the affected areas.

Read their reports below.

This is an opportunity both to serve those in such great need, through these organisations, and also to help build their capacity, so that they can serve even more in the future.

An example from India: Emmanuel Hospital Association has a well organised Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit which responded immediately to the earthquake’s effects on the Indian side (much smaller than in Pakistan). This unit was first established after the Kosovo crisis in 1999, when SADP was approached by a businessman who wanted to help. We facilitated an EHA team to go there. In so doing we enabled Christians from India to serve Muslims in Kosovo, funded by a Hindu from Hong Kong. When a cyclone struck Orissa, three months later, EHA sent the same team there to help, and it has now become well established, working closely with other NGOs in India, as well as international agencies. You can read their report on their initial response to the earthquake. They were of course active in responding to the Tsunami disaster. That is the kind of leverage that we all love to see.

Kunhar Christian Hospital, Garhi Habib Ullah, is just ten miles from the epicentre of the earthquake. The hospital was seriously damaged and had no food or medicine to begin with.

Dr Haroon Lal Din, medical superintendent, wrote:
“A couple of medical teams have arrived to assist in the area. These teams will focus on heading out into villages where road access is minimal. Tremors are continuing and we are still mostly living and cooking outdoors, although thankfully these tremors do seem to be less frequent."

“The current need is for blankets and tents/shelter that can be distributed to those people in need in the surrounding villages. As well as focusing on the immediate needs, we are taking time to look at the ‘big picture’ and long term plans of rebuilding, particularly as winter is drawing near."

Bach Christian Hospital, Abbotabad is 74 miles from the epicentre of the earthquake. They report:
“The facilities have suffered structural cracks but are standing. Many government medical facilities have suffered severe damage and many have totally collapsed. There is not a functioning hospital in this region to the north.

“Medical personnel are on high alert, treating patients as fast as possible. Currently there are over 100 patients who have been carried into our facility with significant injuries, including lacerations and fractures. We are feeding these patients who have come with no provisions to care for themselves."

“Tents have been purchased and erected to provide shelter for patients and their families. A large tent has been set up to treat patients at the hospital as well as at a clinic 50 miles further north."

“Significant monsoon rains have saturated the northern areas and when the quake hit, whole mountains moved. Whole villages have collapsed. Most roads have been washed away or covered with massive mudslides. Transport into these areas is now very problematic. The government and military are providing machinery and helicopters for rescue and evacuation."

“Immediate funding is needed for medicines and food at our hospital site which is functioning as a triage center. Pakistan law requires that the dead must be buried within 36 hours. Casualties in the mountain valleys are high and the trauma is massive.”

Michael Abel of St Andrew’s Church in Lahore has been mobilising resources for these two hospitals and others in the affected areas. He writes:
“I have ordered 350 tents at around US$45 per tent. Some like-minded friends are partnering in this with us. Many more tents will be needed but at this time that was all I could arrange for. Along with this I have received the list below from a doctor friend at a hospital very close to where much of the destruction has taken place:

The immediate need is:

orthopaedic surgeon
anaesthetist
instruments for fracture repair
respirator
x-ray machine
medicines for general anaesthesia

“Today I have also been running around trying to get surgical plaster as it is most needed at the hospital. Our initial estimates range between US $25,000 to $30,000 for immediate relief including tents. People are donating food, clothing and bedding but few are providing medical supplies."

“I am also talking with local doctors and paramedical people if any are available to go. If medical personnel are able to come from overseas they would be most welcome. Pakistan has opened visas for medical professionals with medical supplies so the door is wide open at the moment. If any medical equipment is available that would be very welcome too."

“We are hoping to make a bridgehead in the short term and then be available for the long haul as rehabilitation and rebuilding will be a very long process… "

“…we despatched 100 tents last Friday that were received at Bach Christian Hospital in Qalandarabad along with some food items. The second lot of tents, 250 in number, will be despatched on the 25th, God willing. After that order has been filled the supplier has promised a regular supply of 50 tents a day which means we will be able to send 300 tents a week.“