More than 30,000 households have been assisted; children and their families continue to be the centerpiece of World Vision's rebuilding efforts.

October 8, 2007

By Moussadiq Ali and Dana Palade, Pakistan Communications, and Janet Root, Assistant Web Editor

On Oct. 8, 2005, a destructive, 7.6-magnitude earthquake rocked the South Asian subcontinent, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and leaving 2.6 million people homeless. Some 73,000 people were killed; 19,000 of them were children.

Most child survivors were in classrooms that Saturday morning when the quake hit. Many of them helped dig out friends and relatives from under the debris — tomb-like spaces created by giant, fallen chunks of concrete.

Two years later, Pakistan remains disaster-prone, evidenced most recently by this summer's tropical cyclone and severe flooding that affected 1.5 million in the southern part of the country.

Some 30,000 Households Served Since Quake

Because World Vision had been working through local partners in Pakistan since 1992, emergency specialists with our office reached the hard-hit North West Frontier Province (NWFP) within 48 hours to distribute desperately needed emergency relief supplies, food, water, medicines, and household items.

Our aid focus quickly turned to assisting the children, many of them left emotionally bereft from the horrific scenes they witnessed during and after the deadly quake. World Vision's Child Friendly Spaces, clubs, and theatre groups helped the youngest survivors alleviate the anxiety and emotional trauma the disaster had caused them.

In the two years since that fateful Saturday morning, our staff has served more than 30,000 households in the quake zone. For a summary of World Vision's work during the first critical months of our quake aid operations in Pakistan, check out our one-year report.

After the initial relief phase, our staff began to focus on helping survivors rebuild their lives: improving educational opportunities for children, restoring livelihoods for adults, and preparing communities to sustain themselves through similar disasters in the future.

Improving Educational Opportunities

The 2005 quake damaged more than 67 percent of school facilities in NWFP. This year, World Vision emphasized rebuilding and equipping educational programs in the region. Our major accomplishments included:

• Nearly 120 teachers from the Oghi, Siran, and Kaghan Valleys attended training sessions, focusing on innovative teaching techniques.
• School enrollment was stabilized or increased because of trainings and awareness sessions presented to hundreds of community leaders and 18 parent-teacher associations. In the Oghi area, for example, enrollment increased by 18 percent.
• Nearly 3,000 children received training for safety, health and hygiene, and first aid.
• Some 32 activities were organized in schools in the Oghi and Kaghan Valleys to promote educational issues and offer psycho-social support through artistic activities, including painting and role play.

  Livelihoods Recovery

The 2005 quake worsened an already difficult livelihood situation for Pakistanis. (A typical family of seven in rural NWFP lives on an average monthly income of about $50.) Such dire conditions have served as an added incentive for World Vision to invest in sustainable futures for affected families.

Our projects have enhanced the ability of earthquake-affected families in NWFP to rehabilitate and diversify their livelihoods. This past year:

• About 160 adults participated in training for livestock management, veterinary care, and agricultural practices.
• Farmers in more than 40 villages received medicines for their livestock, and more than 5,000 animals were vaccinated or de-wormed.
• Some 600 women received training on health and nutrition, kitchen gardening, and gender issues.
• About 100 women received vocational skills training that will allow for income-generating activities.

  Emergency Preparedness

A third component of World Vision's response to the quake is equipping families to respond to and cope with similar disasters more effectively in the future. To achieve this goal:

• More than 50 communities were assisted in organizing local disaster committees and creating their own disaster-preparedness plans. Other communities received training in safe building techniques, construction of seismic-resistant structures, and hazard mapping.
• Some 6,000 leaflets and 2,000 booklets were published and distributed to support the safe and dignified return of earthquake-affected people from displacement camps.