Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j9G8nDG21789; Sun, 16 Oct 2005 04:49:13 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 04:49:13 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <20051016084455.76594.qmail@web30802.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Ujwala Samant <lalumineuse@yahoo.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:11174] Re: The Pakistan Earthquake X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Status: O Content-Length: 8929 Lines: 245 Dear Anisa, Yes, those hills are amongst the most stunning in the world. And the people are wonderfully warm and welcoming. we have pictures taken almost exactly a year ago when my colleague visited the Balakot schools and to imagine what they look like now, is the stuff that nightmares are made of. And the children in the images, the teachers, I await each email, each phone call from the field with dread because the numbers they give me are most disheartening. I have friends who work with the AKES, the AKU (IOE) and with their programmes in Gilgit. In fact I have worked closely with the AKU in training our field officers for M&E work. An excellent organisation, the Aga Khan Foundation, and well respected the world over. Our partner organisation, the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) is working closely with the nationa Rural Support Network Programme (RSPN) in the NWFP and I get all my updates directly from them. The bits of the area that are accessible are primarily housed in tent cities. The parts still inaccessible are the ones that worry me; and there are plenty of those. Major casualties are children. Regards, Ujwala --- Anisa Karim <akarim1@student.gsu.edu> wrote: > > Dear Ujwala! > > Thank you for sharing this updates from earth quake > i am student here in US from Karachi. The day the > earth quake happen my family (in pakistan) called > me. Infact every one i know here from pakistan > called me,showing their concerns. The facts you > shared are horrifying and now when I imagin of > disaster I cannot think of distructed valley as I > still have those beautiful valleys in my memories > when last time i visited them. I donot have any idea > of what other communities are doing for earthquack > victims but we have an organised community all over > world run by "Aga Khan Development Network and Rural > support" and all our funds for these type of > distasters goes to "Focus Pakistan" who play major > role in serving victims. I want to share this > article with all of you. > > > Aga Khan Expresses Sympathy > Announces Support for Relief Assistance > > Islamabad, Pakistan, October 10, 2005 – His > Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of > the Ismaili Muslims and founder of the Aga Khan > Development Network (AKDN), today conveyed his > deepest sympathy to the Government and people of > Pakistan on the great loss of life, serious injury > and widespread material destruction resulting from > the earthquake that struck several parts of > Pakistan. > > In a letter to His Excellency President General > Pervez Musharraf, the Aga Khan assured the > Government of support for relief assistance for the > earthquake victims affected in areas of the country > and announced that the AKDN will make an initial > contribution of Rs. 30 million (US$500,000) in > support of the relief assistance being provided by > the Government. > > A further matching amount of Rs. 30 million (US$ > 500,000) will be donated to the President's > Emergency Relief Fund by Habib Bank Limited. In the > drive to supplement the relief efforts, the Habib > Bank Limited will also provide support to its staff > affected by the disaster. > > FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance, the international > emergency relief agency established by the Ismaili > Community, along with AKDN agencies, including the > Aga Khan Health Services and the Aga Khan University > Hospital, have mobilised medical services, food, > tents, other relief goods and humanitarian > assistance. Personnel for search and rescue > operations in the affected areas, have also been > mobilised. In addition, AKDN helicopters have been > made available for humanitarian efforts and are > being facilitated by the Pakistan Army. > > Editor's Note: The Aga Khan Development Network's > (AKDN) activities in Pakistan encompass cultural, > economic and social development and include > microfinance, agricultural programmes, health, and > education, the introduction of clean-water supplies > and sanitation facilities, construction of mini > hydro-electric plants, the improvement of public > open spaces, community-driven village rehabilitation > and house renovation. The Network is a group of > private, non-denominational development agencies and > institutions that seek to empower communities and > individuals, often in disadvantaged circumstances, > to improve living conditions and opportunities in > specific regions of Africa, Asia and the Middle > East. Active in over 30 countries, the Network's > underlying ethic is compassion for the vulnerable in > society. Its agencies and institutions work for the > common good of all citizens, regardless of origin, > gender or religion. > > For further information, please contact: > > Mr. Abedeen Hussain > Press and Media Coordinator > Karachi. > Tel: (0345) 222-7733, (021) 225-1450 > Fax: (021) 222-7210 > E-mail: abedeen@snhi.net > > Regards > Anisa > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ujwala Samant <lalumineuse@yahoo.com> > To: Multiple recipients of list > <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> > Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 05:18:26 -0400 (EDT) > Subject: [NIFL-ESL:11172] The Pakistan Earthquake > > Dear All, > > I work for a small charity in London called Learning > for Life, which has educational projects in > Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. The recent > earthquake > has been a calamity that has destroyed the NWFP and > Azad Kashmir regions. The North Western Frontier > Provinces (NWFP) in particular is a highly neglected > area, with extremely poor infrastructure. For those > of > you who have students from Pakistan and India, my > heartfelt sympathies to them. (There were quite a > few > in the ESOL centres I worked at in NJ.) > > I would like to share an email sent late last > night, > by my colleague, Masood ul Mulk, the CEO of our > partner organisation, the Sarhad Rural Support > Programme: > > Dear Ujwala, > > Its ten at night and I have just returned to > Abbotabad > after a hectic day in the field. I went to Batal > valley two hours journey from Mansehra and visited > several villages which have been devastated by the > Earth Quake. The site at everyone of these villages > was heart wrenching. It was like some giant pincer > had > got hold of the houses and crushed them. In > spectacular sorroundings, lush green valleys dotted > with pines and fruit trees and terraced fields, its > a > horendous site an ugly scar. Any man made structure > in > the surrounding has been torn apart by the forces of > nature as if it was very angry for some act of > omission of the human wretches. Each village had > lost > over thirty souls. Everyone said they were lucky the > earth quake did not come at night when everyone > would > have been inside the homes. Only those who were > inside > at 9am in the morning were the one who fell victim > to > it. I dont think anyone had the time to think > because > it must have been very sudden. One person said > within > seconds it was dust everywhere. The houses must have > rolled on one another reducing the hill slopes to > mounds of debris. This did not just happen to the > poor > even some lovely looking houses made of concrete had > gone to pieces. I cannot see how any of the schools > we > set up would have survived the anger of the earth if > they lay in the areas that have been damaged. The > people are still dazed. However in villages the > communities coped with it and have managed to bury > the > dead after digging them out. But as they point to > each > village in the neighbourhood in the distant mountain > they count the dead in each village. > > I think looking at the future what is disturbing is > that everyone is living under the cold open sky in > pitch darkness at night because the electricity has > been switched off because the wires all lie tangled > in > the debris Tents are still difficult to find and it > is going to take days for any to get to these > villages. And mind you these are not remote villages > these are situated at pretty accessible places. The > tents are just inadequate for the event. I shudder > to > think what is going to happen in winters because > even > the tents will not be of much help against the > blistering cold winds that will blow down from the > mountains. > > On the roads the only sign of relief is the river of > compassion that has flown from individuals in > pAKistani cities and villages. Endless streams of > busses, wagons make their way here and get lost once > here because they do not know where to go. (Over > head > army helicopter fly relief to remote valleys > unlikely > to be accessible for days.) People stop them on the > way and pick up what they want. Endless stream of > people stand on the roads waiting for this bounty. > === message truncated === __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com
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