testimonials id ps

2

Produced by Sarhad Rural Support ProgrammeField Research and Documentation by Qasim K. Tareen Content editing by Mahvash Haider Ali, Sumaira Sagheer Reviewed by Masood-ul-Mulk, Aftab Ahmad & Nadia Shah Layout Concept & Design by Uzma Toor, Retroactive Studios Photography by Fazal Khaliq, Karim Jan, SRSP’s Photogallery Offset Printing by Pangraphics, Islamabad © 2011 Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP)

ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION

This report provides an insight into SRSP’s relief and humanitarian work carried out in the

province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in partnership with local communities to address the development challenges of internal displacement as a result of military operation in 2009 and the devastation of 2010 floods.

“I am an IDP”Showcasing real life

experiences from the field

“In the first fortnight after the human tsunami that poured out of Swat, only 15% found refuge in government schools, the rest were taken care of by the moral economy of the area. In all the villages that we visited, there was only one sentiment expressed by the people - “These are our people, these are our guests.” By saying so, the communities had set standards by which public service would be judged in days to come.” CEO SRSP speaking as part of the team that led the UN Humanitarian Appeal, May 2009

Announcements for evacuation would ring bells of panic amongst the terrified men, women, old and young.

4

ABOUT SARHAD RURAL SUPPORT PROGRAMME (SRSP)

Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) is one of the largest non-government organisations

providing relief and development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. SRSP was created in 1989 as a development organisation, and has since moved into emergency relief too as a natural response to a series of humanitarian and environmental crises. The 2005 earthquake, 2009 counter-insurgency intervention in the Malakand Division and the devastating 2010 floods have all called for an immediate humanitarian response, which an indigenous local organisation like SRSP was in a privileged position to provide.

SRSP’s development and relief work is underpinned by its principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and informed by the needs and priorities of local communities.

“I am an IDP”Showcasing real life experiences from the field 5

In August 2008 the war simmering on our borders for years suddenly started expanding

and invading a larger and larger area when the security forces had to initiate military action in Bajaur, the northern parts of Pakistan—followed by another one in May 2009 in Swat, Dir, Buner, Shangla and adjacent locations with an aim to root out insurgents who had a stronghold in the region. The thunders of the bombing and firing shall resonate in the lives of many in the years to come. Many lost their lives while those who survived had only memories of a peaceful yesterday and the hope for a better tomorrow to identify with. Announcements for evacuation would ring bells of panic among the terrified men, women, old and young. Gathering what they could manage to carry with sorrow-laden hearts many left their houses only to find them turned into rubble on their return. For thousands this was the only investment of their years’ long hard work and struggle. One after the other, villages were engulfed in war and day after

day, the tsunami of people pouring out of the affected districts into settled districts gained momentum. This was the beginning of what came to be termed as the largest humanitarian and displacement crisis in recent times.

As thousands of people poured into the safer districts Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda, Nowshera and Peshawar; humanitarian and aid agencies gathered together to extend support to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).The crisis exposed a paradox that lies at the heart of Pakistan’s predicament today: that of a weak state and a strong society. The enormity of the challenges was beyond the capacity of one institution to respond to it. The government, civil society, the business community, ordinary citizens and even the media all organised efforts to help the victims. But what mitigated the tragedy was the capacity for endurance of the afflicted and the heroic actions taken by local communities. An unprecedented resilience has

been part of the life of a homeless, displaced and food insecure population.

The Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) had previous experience of successfully dealing with relief and rehabilitation work in the wake of the 2005 earthquake and had extensive outreach in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The organisation was quickly entrusted a lead role in the relief activities by UNHCR, as well as by other humanitarian organisations/agencies.

Whenever disaster strikes, innocent people are most critically affected by it, become part of national statistics and, very often, the human side of their suffering is left unsaid. This publication makes a small attempt to give voice to the IDPs by telling their side of the story in their own words, as well as some inside accounts from SRSP personnel who were involved in the relief and rehabilitation work.

BACKGROUND

“Summer was at its peak and the scorching heat was unbearable.” Adnan Kakakhail, Focal Person, Jalozai Camp

6

LOCATION Jalozai IDP Camp and Hayatabad Distribution Point

“Everyone was desperate, they thought everything would finish.” Yasir Ali, Field Officer, SRSP

“Every morning we would wait for the flood of displaced families to arrive.”Barkatullah, Field Officer, SRSP

“People fainted” Yasir Ali, Field Officer


“A new born baby drank water from a bottle.” Mohammad Shah, Senior Programme Officer, Development and Humanitarian Programmes

“Blocks of ice on trucks would be brought to the camps to cool the water.” Yasir Ali, Field Officer

“At the Mardan Established Distribution Point (EDP), people had been pouring in since dawn. Summer was at its peak and the heat was unbearable. Inside the distribution hall it almost felt like match sticks being tightly packed together in a small match box. Our clothes were drenched in sweat. But I was suddenly awestruck by the sight of an old man inching towards us out of the enormous crowd of people. With sorrows in his eyes and lips parched with thirst the old man slowly approached us. I couldn’t help but be amazed as to how an old man had been able to reach the distribution point, despite his age and weakness. Our difficulties seemed insignificant compared to theirs.” Adnan Kakakhail, SRSP Focal Person, Jalozai Camp

“We would wake up early in the morning to begin with our work and make all required preparations for the distribution of non-food items. Every passing day hundreds of people were fleeing from their villages, seeking shelter, food, water and protection in the camps and other safer places. In over 5 months, we accommodated eight hundred to a thousand families every single day. Their miseries seemed endless. Survivors would reach us empty-handed, exhausted from the hardships of their journeys and weak out of hunger and thirst. People were disappointed and desperate for help. They thought everything would finish. The waiting lines would extend beyond space available inside the distribution hall; people would wait for hours under the scorching heat.” Yasir Ali, Field Officer, SRSP

“We made more than fifty-six Waiting Sheds at Extended Distribution Points (EDPs) to provide shelter from the exhausting heat. The World Food Programme (WFP) advised us to make these Waiting Sheds and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees provided us with the material. A Waiting Shed is a bamboo structure 12 metres in length and 2.6 metres in width. We raised other structures as well, all in a very short period of time. We made 11,436 kitchens in 5 weeks, pardah walls (a canvas barrier to segregate women from men to respect cultural norms and protect people from dust storms) and tent shades for 1500 families. At the end of the day, I felt more like a labourer than an engineer. Jazba tha (there was strong motivation) to help these unfortunate people as much as possible. I very well recall that once we worked through the entire day without even having sehri (meal consumed before dawn to begin fasting) during Ramadan (holy month of fasting).” Arif Syed, Senior Engineer, SRSP, Swat Region

“One morning, on my way to the distribution point, I stopped to help an elderly man on the road, who seemed to be struggling to walk. He looked deeply troubled. When he gathered enough strength to speak, he told me he was a school teacher from Matta (Swat), and his young son had been killed during the militant confrontation, ‘I don’t know how to tell my wife that our son has died.’” Barkatullah, Field Officer, SRSP

“I got hit on my leg by shrapnel from a mortar and I was in hospital. I have come to the camp, recently, and I missed the registration so now I can’t get anything. We need gas for cooking and heating. We have a distinct culture, customs, language and we need to represent and help ourselves.” Abdul Wahab (IDP from BARA), 35 years of age 8

“My wife delivered our baby on Tuesday, the 24th of December 2009 and we went to the health care unit in the camp for the delivery but she had hepatitis. Then I had to take her to a hospital far away in an ambulance because the health care officials here didn’t have the proper medicines to take care of her. It cost me 12000 rupees. Even now my baby needs special care. Please provide us proper beds so we can keep our baby warm at night.” Imran Khan (IDP from BARA), 31 years of age

“We left our houses empty-handed to save our lives. We have nothing. We need blankets to keep our children warm. In our culture our girls get married very young, as early as 14 years. We are worried for our daughters now because we do not have enough to marry them off. I left most of my clothes at home and need new clothes. I only have this pair and one more. Proper cooking stoves need to be made available and please understand that there is a shortage of bedding.” Shalmaro Bibi (IDP from BARA), 33 years of age

“We need the basics - clothes, cooking stoves, firewood and baby food. But we desperately need specialised healthcare to treat complicated illnesses. There is a shortage of doctors and no one checks on the hygiene conditions inside the camp regularly. There is confusion about who is responsible to clean the toilets. We have our hands full with not only our children but our relative’s children who have been orphaned. I am looking after a 7 year old who needs special intensive care. Shortage of food has made us weak; that is a real problem. And please get me medicine for my blood pressure, I am an old woman.” Basmirah Bibi (IDP from BARA), 58 years of age


“We left our house during the first week of May, a few days before the military operation started. My family and I shifted to Peshawar and lived with relatives. When we returned home a few months later, we found our family house had been destroyed…now we are constructing temporary shelters and living with relatives and friends. My four brothers and I had made our family house, there were four separate houses on one plot of land, and they were all new. We all lived together. One of my brothers, who is in America, had not even had a chance to see it since it was made after he left. I had worked in America and saved money to build my house. Our family house cost us five million rupees. This does not include the cost of furniture and other household items. Two of our cars, which were parked inside the house, were also destroyed when a mortar hit them.” Pervez Ahmed (Owner of conflict-destroyed house), Farmer, 39 years of age, 5 children

“We were given 3 hours to leave our home and village. There was no fuel for transport and we walked with whatever we could carry for 35 kilometres to the next village-Asband. We lived with a friend for 20 days, then got a place on rent for fifteen hundred rupees a month. Now we are back in our village and haven’t been registered. All that we had has been destroyed and we only have our clothes and fifteen thousand rupees. What I regret losing most is a dinner set given to me by my father. It was souvenir of the last King of Afghanistan, the Late Zahir Shah, presented to my father. Our fallen house is a constant reminder of the horrors we had to witness, especially the sight of two corpses in the street. Our village, Barcham, is a beautiful place. It was very peaceful before war. We have not been able to cultivate our lands for almost two years and hope for good returns on this season’s wheat crop.” Muhammad Afzal (Owner of conflict-destroyed house), Farmer, 52 years of age, 5 children

“My relatives from Karachi told me to leave my house because they heard on television that our village was going to be a target for a military operation. I had one hour to prepare to leave my house. Everything happened in a great rush and before I knew it, we were moving out of our house. It was as if the world was coming to an end. We drove to Swabi and stayed with our relatives. We returned on August 12 and were told that houses close to the road were still in danger.” Asghar Khan (Swat IDP Returnee), MBA student at Virtual University Swat, 26 years of age

LOCATION Temporary Shelter Construction Site, Aligrama Village, Kabal Tehsil, Swat

“Everything happened in a great rush and before I knew it, we were

moving out of our house.”

10

We found

our fam

ily

house had

been

destroy

ed!

It was as if the world was coming to an end.


LOCATION SRSP Office, Saidu Sharif, Swat

“My friend Neelum, who works for SRSP, told me that the amount of work to be done is huge and requires additional hands to deliver it on time. I decided to volunteer my services for our people. My experience with SRSP has helped change my views about NGOs. I am treated with respect by everyone. I felt as if I were part of a family. Right now I am doing my Masters in English Literature from Jehanzaib College for Women. I have helped with keeping and maintaining records at the Non-Food Item (NFI) Established Distribution Point in Ghumabad. I would record women’s bio-data and update our online information systems. There was no hulla gulla (commotion) during the distribution. We worked quickly and had been trained well in our tasks. During my work I met many people who were disappointed with all that had happened in their lives. But I will never forget this one woman from Khwazakhela. The sorrow in her eyes told their tale of loss. She told me how her children sleep in the open because her home was destroyed in crisis. She and her children had become homeless. ” Aneela Aneela, SRSP Volunteer, Swat

“The sorrow in her eyes told their tale of loss.”

12

“We survived on whatever rations we had at home.

The electricity and water had been cut off.”

“My wife was expecting when evacuation was announced in May. She could not travel so we did not leave and my wife delivered Khowla at home. The hospitals were closed and we had no medicines. My friend’s mother is a nurse and she helped us with the delivery. We survived on whatever rations we had at home. The electricity and water had been cut off. By May 10 more than half of the population had left. We left when my wife and baby were strong enough to travel. We left our house empty-handed. I just locked the main gate. First we walked for about 10 kilometres to Balogram, which took us more than 3 hours because we had to stop frequently for my wife to take rest. Luckily, a family with a Suzuki pick-up gave us a ride. It was my family and my four brothers and their families. There were a total of 35 of us in that one Suzuki pick-up. After 4 hours, we reached Dargai and rented a van to take us to Hatian-Mardan. From Dargai to Hatian it usually takes 45 minutes but that day it took us 5 hours. Once there we moved in with my uncle. It is there that I met Mr. Aftab Ahmad from SRSP and from SRSP platform I started working to help my fellow Swatis. I had suffered myself and could relate to what the people were going through. It is difficult for Swati people- who are known to be self-reliant and hardworking- to live in tents and beg for food and medicines. One family from Charbagh told me that they had given their family jewellery worth 10,000 rupees to get to Jalala, Mardan.” Shahid Iqbal, (IDP from Bada, Mingora, Swat), SRSP Field Officer


“We want to come to school regularly!”

14

“A lot needs to be done and it will be an uphill task to restore life back to normal in Swat. There was a lack of awareness on the importance of building semi-permanent schools. They thought we should wait till the buildings are re-constructed into permanent structures and continue using the tents till then. First there was a lot of opposition to semi-permanent school buildings. Now everyone appreciates our efforts. We have completed 2 girls’ schools within 35 days in Swat. This has been done at a cost that was less than half of what was expected. In Buner, our cash for work programmes for removing rubble are motivating local people to get involved in restoring infrastructure. We are trying to normalise life there, especially in the village of Sultanwas, which was completely destroyed during the crises, through training workshops that are relevant to reconstruction work, electric wiring, construction, plumbing, driving and agriculture. Engaging local communities by mobilising them into community organisations is very important. We need to support local communities to normalize their lives. So far the local community’s attitude towards our reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts has been very positive. This kind of work is relatively new for Swat and it will take time for us to strengthen our trust with the local communities. These people have suffered great fear and trauma. My mother and sisters who live in Swat had to walk 35 kilometres during the evacuation. It was particularly scary when there was heavy shelling for an entire night. No one in Mingora could sleep that night.” Zahid Khan (IDP from Swat), Regional Programme Manager, SRSP Swat


LOCATION SRSP Constructed Government Girls Public School, Tootkay Manglawar, Swat

“Please ask our teachers to come back, we have had enough holidays.” Rehmat Bibi - 9 year old school girl, Inzartangeh, Swat

“I am in class 4 and want to be a school teacher. My favourite subject is Pashto. I haven’t been to school for 2 years now. After our summer vacation, we found that our school building had been destroyed by the insurgents. We were very upset and started crying. We thought we would never be able to go back to school.” Rehmat Bibi (9 year old school girl, Inzartangeh, Swat)

“When our school was closed we had no choice but to go to boys’ school which is a lot further from our village. It took us an hour to walk to our school but going to the boys’ school meant walking for 2 hours every day. We spent 3 months at the boys’ school but then the teachers there stopped us from coming. They said we needed a certificate if we wanted to continue our schooling at the boys’ school. We couldn’t get that certificate so we had to stay at home. At home, I helped to collect fire wood and fetch water from the spring in the morning. Then after lunch I would go the madrassah for 3 hours. When I heard our school was being reconstructed I would visit the construction site everyday with my friends. This new school is much better than our old school. Our old school had no drinking water facility, while this one does. I can’t wait to get back to school. I want to be a doctor. I want to teach my other friends and play hop scotch and meer gati with them. Meer gati is a game played with a tennis ball and 4 stones. You bounce the ball on your turn and move the stones before the ball hits the ground. Those who are quick and alert win the game.” Shahida Bibi (10 year old school girl, Inzartangeh, Swat)

“We want to come to school regularly. We want good teachers. A good teacher is one who comes regularly and explains clearly.” Bushra Bibi (10 year old school girl from Inzartangeh, Swat)

“When I heard our school was being reconstructed I would visit the construction

site everyday with my friends. ”

16

“We didn’t think we could get the school ready so quickly based on our previous experiences. But there was a lot of local support mobilised by SRSP and that gave us motivation. We received materials for the pre fabricated structures all the way from Lahore in 3 trucks. Then our construction crew of about 20 locals worked 12 hour days, our assembly crew of 12 worked in the workshop in Mingora. We had to supervise every little thing because there was little awareness about these materials here. The school has been designed by SRSP engineers. One classroom has two blackboards so two different classes can be taught at the same time in the same classroom, for maximum utilisation of space. There was a lot of personal involvement, so much so that we felt as if we were constructing our own houses. We want schools to be built, not destroyed. We could not have completed the school in 35 days without local community support. Without them it would have been close to impossible.” Sher Ali and Nawab Ali, SRSP School Construction Contractors

“We want schools to be built, not destroyed.”


LOCATION Matta, Swat

“When I became an honorary board member, I wasn’t very active but now I feel that Swat needs me. My recent experiences include everything from participating in door to door non-food item distribution to trekking in the snow to reach the remote village of Gatbela close to Malam Jabba. I also had the honour of being invited for the prize distribution at the football match between Badigram and Behdara. The Behdara team won but there were no permanent goal posts on the ground they played on. There are only 3 football grounds in Matta. And a sport is so important because it diverts the energies of the youth into positive areas. I am here now and want to continue to be an active member of SRSP in Swat. It is very important to take ownership of this land. My family is worried about my safety but the people here have so many problems. Especially, the people of Matta, who have suffered the most because they are cut off from the rest of Swat and here a lot of people have not received any aid. Agriculture here has suffered and a lot of small farmers like me were not able to get our produce to the market because many roads were blocked and transport prices have increased by 500% in the last 2 years. There is so much high quality fruit here, peaches, plums, apples, especially the Gala apple which is very hardy, and Japanese persimmons. Honey and fine stitched embroidered pillow cases and tablecloths from this area are also well known and liked. But a lot of the younger generation are forgetting about fine stitched embroidery. What we could really use is a cold storage for our fruit and better pesticides. This is fast becoming a dump yard for foreign pesticides which are further adulterated by local dealers.” Ihsanullah Khan, Board Member and Local Farmer, SRSP

18

LOCATION Government Girls Public School, Spina Khpa, Matta, Swat

“I don’t know my exact age.” Jannat Khanum (School girl, Spina Khpa Village)

“They torched our school at night, we came to know about it in the morning. They shot at my father when he protested against burning our school. My favourite subject at school is mathematics and I want to be a teacher when I grow up. But when my school remained closed for long my father enrolled me in the madrassah. Now that our school has been reconstructed I have returned to it. I like going to school because it gives us an opportunity to stand on our feet. It helps us to speak for ourselves. Our new school is better than our old school because it has furniture, toilets and drinking water. In our old school we had to drink water from a hose. Also we had to buy our own stationery, one pencil for 3 rupees, a pen cost 5 rupees, 1 rupee for a sharpener, 3 rupees for a 6 inch scale, one piece of chalk for 1 rupee and 15 rupees for a small black board. We used to carry our stationery in homemade school bags. In the school we have received new bags, text and note books and stationery. 3 of our teachers were very good.” Shazia Bibi (9 year old school girl, Spina Khpa Village)

LOCATION Kuza Drushkhela Village, Matta Tehsil, Swat

“I have no children of my own and I am willing to teach children for free. I have more than 20 years of teaching experience in these areas. The future of children is very important. I am very grateful to SRSP because they came and taught us how to distribute aid in a systematic way.Everyone in the village is very satisfied. We had 24 hour announcements on the loudspeaker for almost 2 months, telling people where the distribution point was located and to come and receive aid. The whole process went very smoothly. Bacha Was Khan, who is very old and bed ridden sent his daughter-in-law to collect the aid and we personally went to Shahzar Mosh’s house because he is mentally handicapped, to give him non-food items and some food items. I felt like the father of this village. And the people have asked me to speak on their behalf. We need a school built here on a priority basis and a dispensary. Also there is a bridge that has collapsed, Shamadeh Bridge, which connects all the farmers to their land. Now there is no bridge and they are cut off from their livelihood. We don’t deserve to be treated like militants.” Mohammad Kari Badshah (Retired Headmaster and Volunteer), 67 years of age


LOCATION Sultanwas Village, Buner

“We evacuated our house on May 2 and returned on June 28 but our house had been destroyed. My four brothers and I lived in this house with our families. We lost all our valuables including our grand father’s 124 year old porcelain from Bombay. We built this house in 1994. We pray for godsend help to rebuild our home. The assessment has been made for 400,000 rupees but our house was worth 4 million when we built it in 1994.” Ghulam Hussein (Owner of Conflict-destroyed House), 33 years of age

“I live in Dubai with my seven children. But I used to come to Swat to visit my home very often. Now I have moved back to my village to rebuild my house. We had a lot of valuable materials in this house. I had constructed it in 2001. I had gone through a lot of pains to make its marble floor. One year’s supply of wheat and almost 500 grams of gold jewellery were stored inside the house. Now it is all gone. We will rebuild all 16 rooms of the house but should be given at least 4-5 million rupees compensation. We are grateful for the 100,000 plus that we have received through the Cash for Work programme of rubble removal. Something is better than nothing. With the proper funding, my house can be rebuilt within one year. Right now I am living with my brother.” Mohammad Jamil Khan (Owner of Conflict-destroyed House), 46 years of age

“I lost my husband in the crisis. I have five young children and am responsible for looking after their needs. I earned 9000 rupees under the cash-for-work programme. I worked for 20 days to remove rubble from my house’s 12 ft wall and 3 rooms with verandah.” Farida Bibi (Cash for Work Programme Beneficiary), 30 years of age

“I lost my husband in the crisis. I have five young children and

am responsible for looking after their needs.”

20

“2 rooms inside my house had collapsed and I worked for 18 days with a hammer and spade to remove the rubble. I have 8 children and this conflict has left me a widow. The 13,500 rupees I received for my work will make ends meet for quite some time.” Jehanzaiba Bibi (Cash for Work Programme Beneficiary), 35 years of age

“During our door to door livestock vaccination campaign of 8000 small animals and 3000 large animals, one of the farmers got pinned to the wall by his buffalo. Also we have identified 150 families for restocking, 1000 small farmers for agricultural inputs, and have started work on two road filling and packing projects with the help of local labour.” Dr. Muhammad Zubair, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

“My animals haven’t fallen ill. I am very grateful that they were vaccinated because it would have cost me 12000 rupees to treat one animal for a serious illness such as tabak (foot and mouth disease) and if I had lost one buffalo, I would have suffered a loss of at least 60,000 rupees.” Muhammad Haris (Small Farmer and Free Animal Vaccination Beneficiary), 50 years of age

“We left our house on April 10 and returned on June 29. We kept on making trips in the middle to see our house. When we returned in June, we found out that our house had been destroyed in the war. People said that the insurgents had lived in it, but I can not really say what happened. Our house was very special. We had spent a lot on its building and furnishing, the doors and tiles were imported; we had an antique collection of guns and swords, a lot of intricate wood work and marble floors. We own a marble factory that has also been looted by the insurgents, all our heavy machinery, generators, fuel and marble have been stolen. They were nothing but thieves. When the government was recruiting people for a lashkar (militia), we were the only ones who delivered. We also lost one of our uncles during the fight. We have suffered a lot and want our due compensation.” Abdul Rashid (Owner of Conflict-Destroyed House), 55 years of age


LOCATION SRSP Head Office, Peshawar

“When the displacement from Bajaur started in July 2008, we didn’t know where the IDPs were going. It was difficult to track them down as they were disappearing into local communities. The family support system used by the IDPs for seeking refuge was spread out all over the country. Bajaur is a resource poor area and almost every family has some members living out of Bajaur for their jobs. Thus, the displaced easily found refuge with their family members. However, it became a cumbersome task for the relief agencies to differentiate between those displaced due to crisis and those migrating in search of better opportunities- years before the crisis occurred. SRSP resolved this issue by checking the current and permanent address of individuals on their Computerised National Identity Cards. This was followed by displacement from Swat, Buner, Dir and Shangla.

In December 2008, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees needed an Implementing Partner to distribute Non-Food Items to 2,500 families within 15 days in Districts Mardan and Swabi for which we offered our services even though we knew it would be extremely challenging. But our previous experiences of the 2005 Earthquake Relief,

Rehabilitation and Reconstruction activities, gave us the confidence to take on the huge challenge. We were relying on our team work and constant support of the Management. Also, all of us had a personal connection with Swat because it was a popular holiday destination for our families, so everyone could relate to it personally and felt sympathetic and had an urge to contribute to undo the effects of turmoil in the area. We were determined to help the stranded. We distributed Non-food items to 2,500 families that were spread across 2 Districts within 15 days with a team of 18 staff members only. During the course of the last year our team size has been constantly fluctuating and although this was challenging to manage it gave a high degree of flexibility.

Before the IDP crisis our Humanitarian Programme section was focused on delivery of services to affected communities without any belief in UN Cluster approach but after becoming a part of the UN system and attending 3 months of Cluster Meetings we got an opportunity to work and manage inter-organisational relations. There was a constant flow of information and each sector of each organisation we were working with was always kept in the loop. Also, we had to work with local political sensitivities

and always took local officials on board whenever we were planning humanitarian activities. The Government was very pro-active this time and their Emergency Response Unit was very well organised, all their information was just a click away.

As an organisation we have many lessons learnt from our experience but the most distinguished of all has been the feeling of being able to help those in agony and distress. The satisfaction we all feel is unmatchable and cannot be given any words.

“...we have many lessons learnt from our experience but the most distinguished of all has been the feeling of being able to

help those in agony and distress. ”

22

What was probably the most challenging for me was keeping a balance- in my personal life and work. There were days when I had to meet with my plumber and top Government officials. My family members started treating me like a stranger because I would hardly spend any time at home. Also, I live away from my parents so I had to find time to visit them often. The high risk of the job also took its toll on some fellow organisations whose representatives were kidnapped and suffered casualties in bomb blasts. My family was always very worried about me, especially when I used to travel at night. Generally the security situation was worst ever seen by us in this country during the peak of our IDP response. Our field teams were scattered. By being amongst them, especially those in the most vulnerable areas, I was only trying to keep them motivated.

But I will never forget how a big double-deck transport truck appeared out of nowhere one night in Jalala and saved us from a long night. There were 300 people at the Transport Facility Centre who needed transport to the Jalozai Camp and it was 1:00 am on May 10, 2009. There were absolutely no trucks available, we had already facilitated 250 families with transport that day, and all the trucks were gone. But then this big double-deck transport truck pulled over on to the other side of the road, not because we had signalled him to stop but because the driver pulled over to rest. We quickly told him about our problem. The driver was from Swat and was very helpful; all he wanted was compensation for his fuel costs. We managed to accommodate all 300 people on that truck. Some of them even had goats and chickens with them. One lady also expressed her dislike for goats but still got on the truck.” Syed Aftab Ahmad, Programme Manager Development and Humanitarian Programmes, SRSP

“...so everyone could relate to it personally and felt sympathetic and had an urge to

contribute to undo the effects of turmoil in the area. ”


“In the beginning, we had no warehouse in the area. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees let us use their warehouse in Azakhel. Now we have 4 warehouses, two in Nowshera, one in Pabbi and one in Jhagra and have facilitated over 350,000 families with Non-Food Item (NFI) packages and tent shelters. Initially one NFI pack had 5 items, now they have more than 10 items, such as sleeping mats, blankets, cooking utensils, buckets, water coolers, hygiene kits and gas cylinders. Our major functions were receiving items from donors, managing the storage space, packing the items, which was the most difficult function, keeping records and transporting items to and from Established Distribution Points (EDPs). We also provided Relief Banking for individual and private donors. We met all our targets under pressure and at the height of our performance, we were packing 6000 NFI Family packs per day. We looked more like a packing factory than a warehouse. And in 6 months we had packed over 250,000 NFI packages. Labour for packing was divided into 3 shifts and once in Nowshera, 2 rival packing groups had a big brawl, involving at least 50 packers, sticks and stones; even our security personnel could not control them. I had a flower pot thrown at me. Finally the police came and sorted it out.

Transporting NFI packs from the warehouse to the distribution point was very risky and challenging. At the height of our distribution we were managing 70-80 trucks, 100 trucks were being loaded and unloaded per day. We mostly used medium sized Mazda trucks. Most of them were rented and the drivers were all on short term contracts. Most of the drivers were from Nowshera and Mansehra and needed special instructions and constant supervision. One staff member was designated for only supervising the loading and unloading of the trucks. In September 2009, we lost a truckload of 65 NFI packs because the driver made a deal with someone on the street to sell the NFI packs for cash. We recovered all 65 NFI packs within 3 days. During this past one year, we have maintained a loss ratio of less than 1% thanks to very professional staff, strict policies and supervision.” Sohail Babar, Manager Logistic, SRSP-UNHCR Project

“We also provided Relief Banking for individual and private donors.”


“We worked closely with the Government’s Emergency Response Unit in establishing a strategy and made village to village assessments. We tried to work as fast as possible because of the spontaneous nature of the crisis and particularly since the people had already suffered a lot just in getting to the camps. We identified women that were most vulnerable and set up vocational & educational centres and began Cash for Work programmes as immediately as was possible, so that they could gain skills to earn a decent living. We didn’t know for how long they were to stay in the camps. This was part of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) Community Services Programme. One woman had lost her entire family in a bomb blast. She couldn’t speak and always kept crying. We kept her busy with stitching and tried to manage her trauma by making her part of the singing and poetry sessions. After 2 weeks, she was singing and began expressing her sorrows. Seeing people’s positive attitudes, even though they had lost everything, was inspiring for me and I can only hope that I have the same amount of courage and strength when faced with a crisis. Meeting personal challenges during assessments and identification at camps was satisfying. The ability to help people is deeply rewarding. Being physically present inside the camp is very important. Sometimes I was the only woman NGO worker present at the camps and played an important role in bridging the gender gap.” Humaira Naz, Programme Officer Development and Humanitarian Programme, SRSP

“We tried to work as fast as possible because of the spontaneous nature of the crisis and particularly since the people had already

suffered a lot just in getting to the camps. ”

26


“I pray that when the people we are trying to help return to their homes, one day, they would simply say that in their moments of trials and tribulation the world stood with them and helped ease their pain, shared their sorrows, brought joy to their lives, eased their trauma, reached the most vulnerable among them and did it all while preserving their dignity and in the process won their hearts and minds. Helping the people who had left their homes was just the beginning of this long road; helping them find their way back to their homes, security, livelihoods, quality social services and their trust would require a long term commitment and even greater effort, dedication and sacrifices on our part and on part of our friends all over the world.”

Excerpt from the SRSP CEO’s speech at the Presidency where the President and Prime Minister hosted a joint function for the humanitarian community on the eve of repatriation of the IDPs to Swat, August 2009

Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP)House No. 129, Street No. 8Defence Officers Colony, Khyber Road, PeshawarTel: +92-91-5285389, 5254540 Fax: +92-91-5276734www.srsp.org.pk

testimonials id ps

Spiritual

srsps relief

ceo srsp

srsps development

relief work

humanitarian work

development organisation

series of humanitarian

emergency relief