Pakistan Needs Your Help!!
What Happened?
On the morning of October 8, 2005, a powerful and devastating
earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.6, suddenly struck along a fault
line in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Northern Pakistan. The jolt
stirred South Asia, from Afghanistan to western Bangladesh, swaying
buildings in the capitals of all countries in-between, and causing
damage that spans hundreds of miles in every direction. Epicentered
just 100km north of Islamabad, Pakistan suffered the brunt of
one of the world's greatest known natural disasters. In just a
few split seconds, the young and vibrant country was forced to
endure massive calamities that ripped the nation into a new reality.
During widespread landslides and colliding mountains, the earth
swallowed countless lives, whilst prevailing aftershocks rattled
many more. The area became inaccessible by road and life came
to a halt. Masses of people, mainly women and children, were caught
under top-heavy structures and crushed amongst tons of crumbled
remains. In Pakistan alone, almost 100,000 bodies have been recovered.
Thousands upon thousands more are still missing. Entire families,
villages, and towns vanished, without a trace, in a culture where
proper burial is of utmost importance as a show of respect and
conduit of transcendence. Joining efforts in the fight for survival!
The instant and ongoing initiative of local philanthropists, and
widespread, proactive, personally committed Pakistani nationals,
alongside citizens worldwide, eased and overcame strapped governmental
aid conditions. Immediate relief supplied emergency first aid
kits, shelter, food, and supplies amidst a slew of aftershocks,
and the chaos that persisted. In the face of an impeding cold-harsh-winter,
with five million homeless, hundreds of thousands injured, and
6,000 schools to rebuild, living standards and preparation became
of great concern. Systematic strategies were implemented to cope
with extreme temperatures as recovery efforts continued. Rubble
and remains were quickly cleared and roads were patched as temporary
structures, mainly tent camps, were erected.
The much feared, biting, subzero winter of 2005 passed. Slightly
spared of the highly anticipated death toll, a severely weakened
and desperate state remains. The heat of summer now presses on
as Pakistan turns towards long term solutions. The country's Minister
of Social Welfare and Special Education, Mrs. Zobaida Jalal, gives
insight into the magnitude of the rehabilitation process, "It
is like setting up a whole new society!" A daunting task
for a new country on its own, while international attention steadily
wanes.
TCF: Back to School
In conjunction with the Pakistani Government (via the Earthquake
Relief and Rehabilitation Agency- ERRA), local and international
NGOs, such as the World Bank and USAid, are focusing on structural
rehabilitation under new strict seismic-standards. Homes and entire
new communities are being planned and constructed with the help
of governmental allotments. While familial habitats are slowly
situated, much work is still needed to provide proper schooling
to masses of children lost in the shift.
Education, deeply imbedded into the national culture, has always
been a high priority in Pakistan. The region of Azad Kashmir,
severely impacted by the Earthquake, boasts a 95% literacy rate.
Since October 2005, however, many once proud students and their
families are now hesitant to return to school unless a safe and
secure environment can be assured. Others attend in quiet desperation
as they wonder when a sense of permanence and normalcy will be
restored.
One diligent and determined Pakistani organization
seeks to apply their innovative and successful educational development
programs to earthquake affected areas. The Citizens Foundation
was established in August 1995 by a group of concerned citizens,
committed to bring about positive change in the state of education
in Pakistan. For more than a decade, TCF has aimed to administer
quality education to the less-fortunate children of Pakistan's
neglected, low-income, urban and rural areas. TCF accomplishes
this through a structured network of purpose-built and well-managed
schools, trained teachers, a properly developed curriculum, and
an effective system of monitoring and evaluation. To date, more
than 32,000 students study in 224 TCF school units in 26 different
locations across Pakistan.
In response to the earthquake, TCF launched a special Relief Fund
to specifically address the needs of the disaster stricken north.
The rehabilitation and reconstruction program for earthquake victims,
which extended beyond original TCF means of expertise, was implemented
in two phases initially. The first dealt with immediate relief
operations (tents, blankets, and food rations to 40,000 affectees,
ten tent schools, and three field hospitals), while the second
focused on 5,500 one room insulated-winter-shelters, and 5,000
permanent homes. TCF wants reconstruction efforts to be earthquake
resistant, practical, low cost and environmentally sensitive;
taking into account usage of rubble present in abundance. The
effort aims to inspire construction skills and practices that
can subsequently be for the people. The local population is being
energized and focus is on ensuring a rebuilding effort that will
be on a self help basis with the resident communities.
Within the standard TCF model of longstanding, educational opportunity
programs in Pakistan, The Citizens Foundation will now like to
construct permanent schools, as needed and wherever possible,
in earthquake-affected areas. Happy Hearts Fund has joined forces
with TCF to accomplish this much needed goal. We have also combined
efforts with Teens for Technology, a brother organization here
in the U.S., to supply these schools with computer technology.
In addition to the structural rehabilitation element, it is also
extremely important how life is returned to these buildings through
the people, activities, and sentiments that fill them. This is
the breeding ground for healing and renewal.
SRSP: Community-Building,
Psycho-Social Well-being
Trauma counseling is needed now in northern Pakistan, especially
for the youth living in a state of shock since the earthquake.
Each morning children walk past massive graves of their fellow
students and teachers, buried outside the temporary tented classrooms
they endure. These children, often times hesitant to interact
or even smile, are who need our help most. Hope must be restored
to the bright fire that burns within them to light the way of
their world.
Psycho-social assistance must be provided with long term goals
in mind. After the initial post-traumatic stress, deeper psychological
effects emerge within the many layers of consciousness. Therefore,
emphasis on community based organizations to serve as integral
support systems is key.
SRSP is an internationally recognized, well-respected grassroots
organization engaged in a broad spectrum of development activities
in Nothern Pakistan. Since 1989, SRSP administrates exemplary,
effective, and empowering social sector programs in the areas
of education, health, and gender equality. Since the earthquake
in 2005, SRSP has been fundamental to local relief and recovery
efforts in the North West Frontier Province, a region that incurred
a large portion of the destruction caused by the massive tremor.
SRSP focuses on building the capacity of community in disaster
management. HHF supports an assortment of innovative programs
launced by SRSP specifically designed to ease the trauma of children
in the aftermath of the earthquake and promote their total well-being.
Programs include; psycho-social training of staff and school teachers,
inter/intra school competitions and materials (writing, sports,
art, etc.), recreational visits, interactive theatre, and the
printing and publishing of children's works.
Sultana: Especially
for Children, w/ Special Needs
To date, a growing record indicates that the Earthquake in Pakistan
has caused nearly a thousand new cases of paraplegics, 70% of
whom are female. Funding is needed for sanctions to provide inclusive
education for special needs children, with particular consideration
for new cases, which the Earthquake mandated in a matter of seconds.
These children, whose lives were instantly changed forever, cannot,therefore,
exist as before. Steps need to be taken with the overall goal
of reintegration.
Skill development for transition into independent living is a
necessity. The Sultana Foundation is moving forward with the first
initiative to specifically address educational, medical, and social
concerns of special needs children in the earthquake affected
area. HHF continues to endorse and support Sultana in their efforts.
Why Pakistan? Why Now? So What!?
Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, all too often our
common humanity is trampled in the process of misunderstanding.
The greater universal message becomes fragmented, stunting the
power of giving and love. Children who have survived the earthquake
in Pakistan are precious little ones, much like our own sons,
daughters, nephews, nieces, brothers, and sisters. Having encountered
one of the world's most powerful (and least acknowledged) calamities,
their lives, forever changed in a matter of seconds, now need
major rehabilitation. With your help, we will be able to bring
substantial assistance to the effected children; restoring smiles
to their faces, hope in their minds, peace to their souls, and
happiness in their hearts.
It is our guarantee that none of our funding is associated with
religious or political agenda. With the help of our umbrella organization,
Give2Asia, and their affiliates, the Asia Foundation and the Pakistan
Center for Philanthropy, we have thoroughly researched and carefully
selected a few small, private, non-profit NGOs that we wish to
support at this time. We have met with each of these groups personally
(their leaders and constituents), and experienced first-hand the
wonderful work they are carrying out in the field. Happy Hearts
Fund ensures the credibility, efficiency, and sustainability of
these noble and exemplary institutions in their efforts to restore
a decent reality to victims of the earthquake.
With any concern, please allow HHF to be the intermediary that
accurately assesses the accountability and competence of projects
and progress in Pakistan. Though all concerns are appreciated
and validated through due investigation, your confidence in our
work and will permit immediate benefits in the betterment of the
lives of many children affected by the earthquake in this region.
The situation in Pakistan also gives us all a tangible opportunity
to address our fears and concerns regarding the nation's ties
to the network of terror. The United States of America and much
of the modern Western world have embarked on a "war on terror."
The greatest way to gain common understanding, with the entire
Muslim community in mind, is to win the hearts of Islamic heritage
through good deeds in acts of kindness. The vantage of comradery
has the power of inspiring more substantial, sustained, long-standing,
mutually-beneficial relationships than any war waged. A gentle
ear lends lenience to a friend. Playing a major part in the rehabilitation
of the greatest disaster to hit the Muslim world raises support
to facilitate an inspired dialogue of peace and understanding.
Resolving the aftermath of the earthquake is linked to Pakistan's
overall stability. The fallout for the U.S. and the entire world
is momentous if Pakistan does not recover. The role of Pakistan
is very important in U.S. foreign affairs; in the short-term,
Pakistan consistently ranks in the top-ten above India and China.
Thus, adequate renewal is crucial and the kind of money or aid
that contributes to this fundamental process will directly affect
the turnout of this volatile area.
Few countries have been more consistently loyal to the U.S. than
Pakistan. Let us now not turn our backs whilst our loyal friend
reaches the peak hour of need
Not to mention the practical benefits of being
one of the few donors in a country with excellent economic prospects.
Pakistan is a good investment. For three years, Pakistan has proven
to exhibit the best performing and fastest growing stock market.
International companies, such as General Electric, Pfizer, Xerox,
UPS, and Citigroup have established roots in Pakistan and are
growing there annually.
We have much to learn from this reciprocating process. Many beautiful
aspects of community involvement, acceptance, and perseverance
can be derived by all who merely observe affairs in Pakistan and,
especially, by those who participate and interact. No orphanages,
just refuges, in a community forum that embraces its widows and
orphans. Though this was blast was for no society to bear alone.
Overall, your support is needed now. Please consider the need
for assistance of our cousin Pakistan, at this time. A great many
rewards your help will bring, even of your own. As one little
girl expressed in an English essay she composed and recited at
a grade school assembly in a hard hit section of northern Pakistan,
"Thank you to our friends from abroad who have helped [Pakistan]
in our time of need. May we rebuild our country so that one day,
we may also help you." We are here for each other. The responsibility
is ours.
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