WUNRN
September
3, 2010
A
Statement from Women Workers Help Line forwarded by the Asian Human Rights
Commission
Need continued relief and rehabilitation from aid organizations.
Brief
report by Bushra khaliq
As flood waters are
receding in areas of Kot Addu,
But
many of families are still residing in the camps, complaining for lack of
relief goods and waiting for the same. Today I visited few camps and villages
near Kot Addu. There are 300 camps in Lakhay area with about 2500 inhabitants.
Life is miserable in these camps. The tents are very small, with space for only
two charpoys (bed). No separate toilets for women, they have to go to the
nearby fields to answer the call of nature. Cholera and Maleria is spreading
among all ages; children and elderly. They need medicines against Malaria and stomach
related diseases. Women want to cook food themselves, if they are provided with
ration and utensils. They are also in need of under garments.
After visiting the camp I had full round of three villages called Basti
Moradabad, Basti Seikhan and Basti Reharwala . These Bastis were presenting
horrific picture of destruction. Only few structures were still intact with
four walls. The kacha houses are totally vanished while bricked houses are
partially damaged. The families who are back have started repairing their
houses and dwellings. Since men are still somewhere else at safer places to
look after their cattle heads, it is women who are first to return to their
houses. Surprisingly, they have taken up repair work with meager resources,
whatever available. They are collecting bricks, wood and straw to remake their
dwellings. Some of them are busy plastering walls with mud. Others are
spreading out the leftover food grains in the open. In their dilapidated
houses, they are searching for some valuables and items like, clothes, shoes
and quilts from mud and waste, in order to make these items reusable.
Their kitchens are vanished, no pots, no utensils. They still need food,
ration, medicine, fodder, quilts, carts and new clothes for their children.
Majority of people in these villages are sick, suffering from fever and
malaria. Many women not only taking up reconstruction work without waiting for
outside help, but also looking after the sick members of family. The real fear
is that the people returning back to the villages might be out sighted by the
relief workers as most of relief operations are limited to camps. Relief
workers have to reach out to these families migrated back to their villages.
Being in their own devastated and destroyed houses does not mean end of the
miseries.
The
level and degree of daily needs of these newly returned families are similar to
that of needs of families inside the camps. Since they are now away from camps,
becoming invisible to the eyes of camera and relief workers, it is quite
important to keep on tracking these returning families and continue supply of
relief items at least till the time they functionalize their kitchens.
These families and women are facing the huge challenge of restarting life from
scratch. The women I talked to were much worried for not having cash or kind to
purchase clothes for their family and kids for the coming Eid-ul-Fiter. They
were also worried as winter will be approaching soon but they do not have warm
clothes, blankets and quilts.
Women Workers Help Line provided food, water, milk and new clothes for women
and children in these camps few weeks ago but in the wake of the misery
prevailing all around these camps and villages, much more work needed to be
done for these floods hit communities. Civil society organizations busy in
relief and rehabilitation must focus women as they are the ones, taking up the
challenge with new hope.
Bushra Khaliq, General Secretary, Women Workers Help Line, www.wwhl.org.pk