4. 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.
5. “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
6. “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
7. “People fainted”
Yasir Ali, Field Officer
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 7
“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
8. “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
9. “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
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 9
10. “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
11. We found
our family
house had been
destroyed!
It was as if the world was
coming to an end.
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 11
12. 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
13. “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
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 13
15. “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
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 15
16. 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
17. “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.”
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 17
18. 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
19. 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
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 19
20. 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
21. “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
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 21
22. 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
23. 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. ”
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 23
25. “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.”
“I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 25
26. “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
27. “I am an IDP”
Showcasing real life experiences from the field 27
“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
28. Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP)
House No. 129, Street No. 8
Defence Officers Colony, Khyber Road, Peshawar
Tel: +92-91-5285389, 5254540 Fax: +92-91-5276734
www.srsp.org.pk
