Asia earthquake

10 October 2005

The earthquake that hit parts of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan on the morning of Saturday 8 October, 100 kilometres (62 miles) northeast of Islamabad, caused massive devastation, razing entire villages and towns to the ground.

48 hours later, Y Care International launched an emergency appeal to support the relief efforts with affected communities.

Members of Y Care International’s partner, ACT International were among the first charities to provide disaster relief to survivors in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Azad Kashmir regions, as well as affected areas of India.

They worked closely with other international and local organisations and authorities to organise relief efforts to help address immediate needs. Emergency food packages (including wheat flour, rice, pulses and cooking oil) and shelter kits were distributed in the most affected areas of the provinces.

Temporary relief camps were also set up to give survivors a home throughout the winter. The people in the camps received a broad range of help from ACT members, including counselling to help them come to terms with the huge disaster, clean water and sanitation, training in hygiene and vocational skills, and care for children.

Y Care International also supported the YMCA of Pakistan, which moved quickly to provide relief to survivors. Working with local authorities, the YMCA also set up tents to provide shelter for the homeless, and provided water pumps for clean drinking water. Local YMCA staff and volunteers collected food and blankets.

The long-term plan

Donations are supporting ACT International’s long-term work as part of a three-year development plan for governments and international charities.

With an estimated 263,000 people still living in camps, authorities are now encouraging them to return to their homes, but there is no deadline for the closure of the relief camps. People who return voluntarily are given one month's food ration, as well as tents and bedding to help them re-settle into their communities. Many people will still be dependant on food aid until the harvest in September / October.

The long-term plan includes the following issues which are vital in helping communities become self-sufficient once again:

Rebuilding homes

Monsoon rains in Pakistan can make some of the already unstable land even more hazardous. So, ACT members are helping to relocate people to safer locations to rebuild disaster-resistant homes.

Livelihoods and skills

Many families lost their usual income when husbands and fathers perished in the earthquake. In rural areas livelihoods were completely eliminated when people lost means of producing dairy and wool goods from cattle and livestock.

Alongside the authorities and other charities, ACT International is helping survivors to take part in training courses and re-establish livelihoods.

For example, a vocational training centre in the Pakistani town of Balakot Tehsil has recently opened where young men are being trained in masonry, carpentry, electrical engineering and plumbing.

Local men are also being given an opportunity to earn an income through employment as labourers in the rebuilding of new homes.

Counselling

People were severely traumatised after witnessing so much destruction. However, ACT members are helping people overcome their fears and doubts so they can go on to re-build their lives.

Sanitation and hygiene

ACT International is training survivors at relief camps to explain the importance of hygiene and sanitation to their communities. The training helps people prevent outbreaks of water-borne diseases.

Work continues to repair damage caused by the quake through rebuilding water supply systems and provision of clean water to communities.