Following the devastating Pakistan earthquake that shook the entire South Asia region on 8th October 2005, Tearfund and its partners have been continuously providing aid and support to the area. Now six months since the quake hit, Tearfund has reported a clear view of the situation in the areas it is working.
Across the affected region the Tearfund relief effort is supporting over 30,000 families - some 180,000 people, providing shelter kits, winterised tents, tools, stoves and cooking utensils, blankets and mattresses as well as warm clothes and medical assistance.In the North West Frontier of Pakistan, and Indian Administered Kashmir, Tearfund partners were among the relief agencies closest to the earthquake area and they prioritised their staff and operations to help victims.
In the immediate aftermath of the quake it was vividly apparent to all that the earthquake was one that had hit on a massive scale.
Tearfund testify the demanding logistical task that agencies had to deal with to reach communities across vast inaccessible terrain.
A Tearfund disaster management team based in the region responded quickly. They were soon in the earthquake affected area providing relief expertise and co-ordination to get emergency aid programmes up and running. The first phase focussed on materials to enable communities and families to survive the winter.
In the extremely remote Bagh area, the programme has so far provided relief to over 22,000 people, and 4,500 families across six valleys.
Across the area, Tearfund has funded and distributed 6,000 emergency shelter kits - including essential tools and blankets. A public health promotion project is reducing the vulnerability of 6,500 households to disease. Detailed water surveys and repairs to water systems have also been carried out.
