Helping the Internally Displaced

Amai in Shanty Towns of Islamabad

2011-10-28T02:24:00.000-07:00

During, summer of 2010, Funkor Childart Center's started 'Amai in Shanty Towns of Islamabad Project'. Funkor organised art and book reading workshops for children.
Through Art and book reading workshops, Funkor organised distribution of note books with messages about environment protection and Hygiene promotion. Through mural painting the children after receiving the note books, expressed that "Trees are our friends", "We love Pakistan", "Plant more trees", " We love animals and trees", " Be kind to animals and trees". Funkor also held 'Recycling workshops', Book reading sessions, distribution of 'Sadako's Prayer' and mural painting and drawing. After reading 'Sadako's Prayer' children painted murals depcting messages of 'No more Hiroshima's!' and Sadako's Peace Memorial. These murals are dedicated to the victims of devastating Tsunami in Japan. I this some children express their views some of them are: We have learnt that we should always love each other. Amai turns into a shooting stars and takes children around the world. I liked Amai in this book. Amai is made of light Amai is a bird and she spreads lights among children Amai spreads light and takes children on exciting adventures Church Schools Visited.
Charismatic Church G-12 Area.
Mathew Academy, in Iqbal colony in a Katchi Abadi, of G-7.
Pakistan Gospal Assemblies Church Fasal colony G-7.
Faiz Church Faraz colony F-7.
Universal Gospal Assembly Church in G-8/4
Universal Gospal Assemblies Church, G-7/2
Master Ayub School

Distributed:-
479 note books with messages about Environment protection.
430 note books about Health and hygiene promotion.
172 picture books 'Sadako's Prayer's
1650 children participated in painting and book reading workshops.
960 Christmas gifts distributed.
For making these workshops possible Funkor childart Center would like to thank.
Ron Kovic Peace Prize
Maria Bader iEARN Austria
Maham Ali and friends for the notebooks

Weaving workshop in Juttal, Gilgit

2011-05-21T10:32:00.001-07:00

Weaving workshop in Juttal, Gilgit

2011-05-21T10:23:00.001-07:00

From: Fazal I Wahid. Weaver from Swat.

Madam Helga Ahmed sent me to Juttal, Gilgit, to conduct weaving workshop with the villagers. I had to make a Spining wheel and a hand loom myself as there were none in Juttal. I departed from Islamabad on 29th April 2011 and reached Gilgit on the first of May. I conducted workshops in two different places. First I went to Juttal, there I made the hand loom and spinning wheel forst. I used Eucalyptus wood for making them, because it was cheap compared to other wood. A hand loom was made within a budget of thirty thousand rupees.

1. I taught them how to make thread from sheep wool on the Spining wheel.
This thread is used for different purposes in hand loom.
2. Then I taught them how to make
• Chadder for gents.
• Shaal for ladies.
• Patu ( Sharahi).
• Waskat strips for gents.
• Qader for both season, it is of 2 varieties thick in winter and thin in summer.

Women also were taught how to use the spinning wheel. Next, I went another place Chiprot which was thirty kilo meter away from Juttal. I transferred Spining wheel and a hand loom. I trained three people in this process. They made fifteen Chadder from polyester, because it was cheap rather than wool. They learnt the whole work I gave them a responsibility to other villagers too. Previously they were using sheep wool just for making cushion, now they are trained to weave shawls too.

I stayed there fifteen days. I worked non stop, was very tired, my arms were not moving around. I was happy to teach them these traditional skills. Pakistan Television covered the weaving workshop and that had a tremendous effect on the villagers after that may got interested in this training It was also publicized in the local paper.It will help them in income generation. I left on fifteen of May.

Here is an urgent plea from Community Sadiqabad Jutal Paeen

With due respect it is stated that Sadiqabad Jutal Paeen is situated at a distance of 16 miles from Gilgit city. This is known as the most backward area of District Gilgit. It contains 250 households but lack the basic requirements of life regarding education, health, transportation, agriculture etc. The vary most difficult ties we are facing today are in education and health sector.

1. There are almost 300 children in sadiqabad Jutal but due to the unavailability of school the y are wandering here and there and therir future is in danger. A Govt school is present at a distance of 4 to 5 km which is un accessible for these small children. The community demanded the school to Govt and NGOs many times but no one have ready to take step to solve this issue.
2. The second most important issue of this area is regarding health. There is not water purification plant and even water supply system to in this area and the residence are complled to drink turbid and muddy water, which results serious health problems.
Madam, we the people of sadiqabad Jutal paeen through this application request you to visit this area(if possible) or take necessary steps regarding these issues. We will be much grateful to you.

Community Sadiqabad Jutal Paeen District Gilgit . Chairman Education Committee
Hajat Hussain S/o Ghulam Rasool BBA(Hons)
0312-9726956

The weaving workshop was made possible with kind support from Shahnaz Ahmad and Madiha Syed

Upgradation of Mhoon School

2011-05-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

Bahrain was devastated due to floods. This is where Mhoon School is.
The funds raised by exibitions of 'Multi-coloured Scarves of Peace' in Austria, Funkor Childart Center was able to help Mhoon School in Bahrain, Swat Kohistan to extend a class by paying the salary of one teacher for Rs.7000/- per month for 2 years. The extention of the project will benefit 25 children for 2 years and keep the quality of the students intact; and indeed it will enhance it. Without this support these children would have lost the quality education Mhoon School had so far ensured with these students. Mhoon School is run by Idara Baray-e-Taalim o Taraqi IBT, Bahrain. IBT has been a partner in flood relief efforts in Bahrain and established 'Amai's Nest' for flood affected children for more information please visit http://fauziaminallah.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post_31.html other flood relief activities with IBT include http://fauziaminallah.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post_31.htm
and http://funkorchildart.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html also http://funkorchildart.blogspot.com/2010/09/something-special-for-children-of.html .l

These children are the first batch of Mhoon school. Mostly poor and excluded these children would straight go either to the government schools( where quality education is not available) or drop from schooling if they were not able to retain them at our project.

The post flood scenario is that most of these children belong to families who were badly affected by the floods in terms of either direct victim of it as their homes, property and resources were destroyed. Some children belong to families whose source of livelihood, shopkeeping or restaurants, were washed out by the floods. Thank you Maria Bader, Brigitte Naubacher, Maham Ali and Fauzia Haider for making the continuation of the education of these beautiful children possible and all those beautiful students in Vienna who contributed through the art exchange "Multicoloured Scarves of Peace' For more photos please click on the link http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28461&id=147236615334904 and the blog http://fauziaminallah.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post_31.html
April 7 · Like ·

Friends around the world Helping Funkor in Helping Children in Crisis

2010-11-22T01:52:00.001-08:00

San Francisco: 'Let Them Bloom' a short film on Peace by Fauzia Minallah was the winner of the Ron Kovic Peace Prize. Joanne Twafilis the Executive Director of Art Mile Mural Project recievd the award on Fauzia's behalf. Ron Kovic donated $1000 for Funkor Childart center which will be used on Funkor's work with 'Children in Crisis'.

Vienna: On the invitation of the district principal a lunch was organized in November in order to discuss the procedures for fundraising events for flood victims in Pakistan on Dec 1, 2 and 3.All directors of the schools in the 6th district of Vienna were present as well as Herbert and Maria Bader, Waltraud Torrosian and Brigitte Neubacher

Vienna: A dear friend of Waltraud Torrosian - teacher in a school in Vienna who visited Pakistan twice - is organizing activities for Pakistan in her school. And here is one result already: a girl with the name of Kara prepared Muffins and sold them with a profit of 192,- EUROS!
Translation of the text on photos: Photo 1: 192,- Euros, a full success, Photo 2: Muffins for Pakistan, Photo 3: it is fun to help
A message from Waltraud: Children are really so innovative! We all are trying our best.
With greetings from Vienna to you all and lots of love
Waltraud

Japan: Congratulation( On winning the Ron Kovic Peace Award), I was so impressed.
Next Monday, I’ll show my students your video.
Before two years ago, actually, I had told students about Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in America, America attack in Afghanistan, and the war in Iraq.
I also tell children of this year’s class about it.
We have done fund raising for Pakistan in our school for a week.
But, some children said that I want to do more fund raising.
Therefore, in after school, we went to a supermarket near our school; we have done fund raising activities two days.
I send that Photos.
I hope that you feel the thoughts of my students for Pakistan.
Thank you Toshio Arao

Impressions of Japanese Students:
Nobana: I hope that Pakistan could become a peaceful country by the donations that we collected. I think that I want to help people in need.

Isam: Through Fundraising, I think that we should support each other. So I hope that Pakistan become a peaceful country in this fund.

Daigo: I did raise money for the people of Pakistan. From now on, I thought I would want to do more work for the world.

Wakana: I thought we must help each other. I do my best for the future of the world.

Haruna:I thought I would like to support people around the world in the future. I am more interested in what is happening in the world, I want to grow up to be such activities.

Momoko: Through fund-raising, I found that it is one of the world.

Takuto:I want to do fundraising　activity and volunteer work as well for those in need in various countries.

Angelika: I have been not experience to do activity for the people around the world.
It was the first time. I felt very happy.

Myu;If Pakistani people see the scene where many Japanese do donation to us, I think that they feel so happy.

Amai ka Ashiana- Amai's Nest for Children in Bahrain

2010-10-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

Photos Ahmad Faraz & Aftab Ahmad

‘Amai’s Nest’ is a healing place for flood affected children, It is situated next to a relief camp in Bahrain, Swat Kohistan, where nearly 30 families reside. Amai's Nest is where the children from this relief camp can read books, paint pictures as well as catch up on their studies that were disrupted due to displacement. It is a project of Funkor Childart Center and Idara-Barai-Taleem o Taraqi.Aftab Ahmad is the supervisor who guides the teachers in the daily activities and assists them in whatever help they need. There are 2 teachers, Mohammad Rahim and Mohammad Ishaque. Both have previous experience of teaching. The teachers are hard working and devoted. Rahim has also the experience of art work. At the moment the total number of students enrolled so far is 51. All of the children come from the relief camp.

Thanks to donation from the Beaconhouse Community Services members who donated Rs 26,000 we were able to buy floor coverings for Rs 2000/- to start with. All the purchases made will be updated on this blog.

Book Reading- Sadako's Prayer

Mural painting 'Trees are our Friends'

Ahmad Faraz a volunteer of Funkor Childart Center explaining the poster 'Darakht Hamary Dost Hain'. It was followed by mural painting. Flowers, trees and birds were painted by the children.

Milk Day &Recycling Activity
Once a week children are given milk to drink. It is followed by making crafts from the milk packs.

Ahmad Faraz giving instructions to children.
Cutting the milkpack to make flowers.

Shazina tying her flower to the pole.

I am first to make a flower!!!

Cleaning up after the activity.

Some sports.

Clay Fun

Drama time.

Drawing time.

On November 14, 2010 IBT core team received Eid and winter dresses and shoes for the Amai’s Nest project children in Bahrain. The winter and Eid package contained dress, shoes, 2 pairs of socks and a cap for the children. IBT distributed the dresses and shoes among the 51 children on November 15, 2010, a day before the Eid.Warm jackets, woolen caps and shoes were gifted by Fauzia Asad Haider, socks were gifted by Falaknaz Asfandyar and the new clothes for Eid was a gift from members of the Church of St. Gwyddelan of Dolwyddelan, Wales, UK.

Funkor is grateful to Attaur Rehman Baig, Mahnoor and Mushfih for donating 100 books for a mobile library, Maham Ali and her friends for donating books and stationary, Isabelle Bouan, Lynda Martin, Waltraud Torrosian and Bernhard Wild for helping us in 3 teachers salaries for 6 months, Fauzia Asad Haider for milk for each child for every Friday of the week, Maria Mader's friend listed below for all the material that went into providing a special place for the flood affected children and making this looming winter bearable for them.List of donators for FUNKOR in Austria,
MAUSHAMMER Mr,NESTINGER Fam,WEICHHART…….Fam,BADER Fam,ZITTA……………….Mr, FESSL………………Mr, TEICHER…………..Mrs
ECKELBACHER….Fam
DATZINGER………Mrs
HORVATH………..Mr
KUKLA……………..Mr
WUTZEL…………..Fam
GABLONER………Fam
RANKL……………..Fam
WAXENECKER….Mrs
HEINISCH…………Mr
AUER………………Mrs
HITZ………………..Priest
NICOLOSO……….Mr
DILLINGER……..Mrs
LEBSCHY………….Mrs
RUMPELMAYER.Fam
PERMOSER………Priest
We thank the families NESTINGER, WEICHHART, BADER, ECKELBACHER, WUTZEL, GABLONER, RANKL, RUMPELMAYER, the ladies TEICHER, WAXENECKER, DATZINGER, LEBSCHY, DILLINGER, AUER, and the men ZITTA, FESSL, HORVATH, KUKLA, NICOLOSO, MAUSHAMMER, HEINISCH, HITZ, and the priests Karl PERMOSER and Erich HITZ, members of the Church of St. Gwyddelan of Dolwyddelan, Wales, UK.

Winterised Tents and other Relief Activities in Bahrain

2010-10-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

Report by Zubair Torwali
Photos by Aftab Ahmad
** The people of Darolai and Gurnai villages in Union Council Mankiyal have been entangled in constructing a wooden bridge since August 1, 2010—after the floods. They do the work on volunteer basis through a collective endeavor called “Ashar”. We provided lunch for them on one occasion. On that day we also gave them Tops juice provided by Ms Tahira Abdullah's Uncle. On that day there were 230 people in the Ashar.

On October 6, 2010 IBT distributed 25 tents among the most needy floods affected families in union council Bahrain and union council Mankiyal. These winterized tents were provided by the Civil Society of Islamabad through Ghazala Minallah. Each tent cost Rs. 18,000.

More Relief Activities in Bahrain, Swat Kohistan

2010-09-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

On the occasion of International Literacy Day, Idara Barae Taleem, organised a special event with children affected by the floods. 416 Eid gifts for children sent be Funkor Childart Center as well as books were distributed.

Children writing their names.

Boys also writing their names and special messages on the occassion of literacy day
.

Waiting for the gifts.

Book reading session and distribution of Eid gifts.

Distribution of Eid gifts in a relief camps.

Cash distribution among widows.

Photos by IBT.
Report by Zubair Torwali.
Relief goods provided by
• Civil Society, Islamabad
• Funkor Child Art Center, Islamabad
&
Facilitated and implemented by
• Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi (IBT), Bahrain Swat
Relief items
1. Commodities:

# Item Quantity Source
01 Juice, Shezan 36 cartons Civil Society, Islamabad through Tahira Abdullah
02 Water purifying tablets 400 packs Civil Society, Islamabad through Tahira Abdullah
03 Clothes 200 suites Civil Society, Islamabad through Ghazala Minallah
04 Bed Sheets 12 sets Civil Society, Islamabad through Ghazala Minalla
05 Razai/quilts 05 sets Civil Society, Islamabad through Ghazala Minalla
06 Towels 10 Civil Society, Islamabad through Ghazala Minalla
06 Medicines 5 cartons Civil Society, Islamabad through Ghazala Minalla
07 Books 400 Funkor Child Art Center, Islamabad through Fauzia Minallah
08 Milk 25 cartons of 27
Packs each=675 Funkor Child Art Center, Islamabad through Fauzia Minallah
09 Biscuits 5 cartons 654 rolls Funkor Child Art Center, Islamabad through Fauzia Minallah
10 Tops Juice 1 liter packs 10 cartons 120 packs Funkor Child Art Center, Islamabad through Maham Ali
11 Dress suites for boys and girls 489 suites Funkor Child Art Center, Islamabad through Fauzia Minallah

2. Cash
# Source Date Channel Amount
1 Civil Society, Islamabad through Tahira Abdullah Sept. 1, 2010 Bank Check PKR 200,000
2 Civil society, Islamabad through Ghazala Minallah Sept. 1, 2010 Cash PKR 50,000
3 Civil Society, Islamabad through Ghazala Minallah Sept. 8, 2010 Money transfer PKR 200,000
4 Funkor Child Art, Islamabad through Ahmad Faraz Sept. 6, 2010 Cash PKR 2,000
Total Amount PKR 452,000

Transportation
1: 01 suzuki from Islamabad to Chikri in Swat--------------- PKR 8,500 dated 01/09/2010
2: 20 packs from Chikri to Bahrain by Mazddor-------------PKR 10,000 dated 01/09/2010
3: 16 packs from Chikri to Bahrain by Mazdoor-------------PKR 7,150 dated 08/09/2010
Detail of the relief cash recipients
# Name of the recipient Status Address NIC # Amount received
01 Bakht Zamin Widow Puraan Gaam, u/cBahrain H800121549 2,000 pkr
02 Inzer Gula Widow Bahrain u/c Bahrain 15602-6783160-8 2,000 pkr
03 Inaan Widow Torwal u/c Balakot 15601-5525107-8 2,000 pkr
04 Saliha Widow Punjigraam u/c Bahrain 15602-658584-4 2,000 pkr
05 Shah Alam Wali House damaged Bahrain u/c Bahrain 15602-7468336-9 2,000 pkr
06 Abdul Jamil House damaged Daroali u/c Mankiyal Drowned 2,000 pkr
07 Zahirullah Meal provider Bahrain u/c Bahrain 15602-0523017-7 2,000 pkr
08 Abdul Karim House damaged Darolai u/c Bahrain 15602-0341954-1 2,000 pkr
09 Shazia Disabled Torwal u/c Balakot 15602-6589976-4 2,000 pkr
10 Razia Widow Bahrain u/c Bahrain Not got 2,000 pkr
11 Pethane Widow Torwal u/c Bahrain 15602-1204243-0 2,000 pkr
12 Bakhsherwan House damaged Darolai u/c Mankiyal 15602-0348831-5 2,000 pkr
13 Shahzaroon Widow Arin u/c Bahrain 15602-7887837-2 2,000 pkr
14 Wazir Zada House damaged Darolai u/c Bahrain 15602-9324953-3 2,000 pkr
15 Shaley Widow Punjigraam u/c Bahrain 15602-9734660-0 2,000 pkr
16 Sakeena Bibi Disabled Punjigraam u/c Bahrain 15602-0820665-4 2,000 pkr
17 Banezir Bibi Widow Puraan Gaam u/c Bahrain 15602-7509156-4 2,000 pkr
18 Widow of Javid Widow Do 15602-2255972-6 2,000 pkr
19 Widow of sohail Widow Do 15602-6883404-9 2,000 pkr
20 Charit Widow Daroali u/c Mankiyal 37405-9709900-6 2,000 pkr
21 Baachi Widow Gurnai u/c Mankiyal 15602-979889-1 2,000 pkr
22 Sohu Jan Widow Darolai u/c Mankiyal Nil 2,000 pkr
23 Sherenai Widow Do 15602-5888881-0 2,000 pkr
24 Abdul Jalil House damaged Do 15602-0454277-7 2,000 pkr
25 Rakhmin Baigum Widow Do 116-28-215364 2,000 pkr
26 Baachaane Widow Do Lost 2,000 pkr
27 Bakht Bahadar House damaged Kedam u/c Balakot 15602-1627468-7 2,000 pkr
28 Asil Zada House damaged Do 15602-3709798-3 2,000 pkr
29 Bakht Zada Do Do 15602-2258016-1 2,000 pkr
30 Mohammad Saleem Disabled Darolai u/c Mankiyal 15602-0753934-7 2,000 pkr
31 Pashmeena bibi House damaged Do 15602-3556546-0 2,000 pkr
32 Zareene Widow Do Nil 2,000 pkr
33 Rahimullah House damaged Bahrain u/c Bahrain 156028-307703-9 2,000 pkr
34 Ameer Nawab Do Ramet u/c Mankiyal 15602-0372453-9 2,000 pkr
35 Shah Faisal Do Do 15602-0367127-5 2,000 pkr
36 Sher Khan Do Do 15602-0346946-1 2,000 pkr
37 Bakht Zaman Do Do 15602-0453709-3 2,000 pkr
38 Abdul Baqi Do Do 15602-0312555-7 2,000 pkr
39 Adam Shah House damaged Cham u/c Balakot 15602-1180743-1 2,000 pkr
40 Gujar Khan Do Lagan u/c Bahrain 15602-8820716-5 2,000 pkr
41 Sher Zaman Do Darolai u/c Mankiyal 15602-4781851-1 2,000 pkr
42 Mohammad Nawaz House damaged Gulshan Abad u/c Utror 15602-0249962-1 2,000 pkr
43 Abdul Musheer Disabled Kedam u/c Balakot 15602-8509186-9 2,000 pkr
44 Mohammad Faqeer House damaged Kalam u/c Kalam 15602-0454177-5 2,000 pkr
45 Gul Sharif Do Do 15602-0423735-1 2,000 pkr
46 Sher zada Do Ramet, u/c Mankiyal 15602-5628229-1 2,000 pkr
47 Ameer Nawab Do Do 15602-0372453-9 2,000 pkr
48 Shah Faisal Do Do 15602-0367127-5 2,000 pkr
49 Sher Khan Do Do 15602-0346946-1 2,000 pkr
50 Bakht Zaman Do Do 15602-0453709-3 2,000 pkr
51 Abdul Baqi Do Do 15602-0312555-7 2,000 pkr
52 Adam Shah House damaged Cham u/c Balakot 15602-1180743-1 2,000 pkr
53 Gujar Khan Do Lagan u/c Bahrain 15602-8820716-5 2,000 pkr
54 Khan Zada House damaged Kedam u/c Balakot 15602-1141992-7 2,000 pkr
55 Shah Afrain Do Do 15602-5353582-9 2,000 pkr
56 Rahmat Gul Destitute Kanga u/c Bahrain 15602-7431103-1 2,000 pkr
57 Mohammad Sadiq Do Do 15602-0478066-7 2,000 pkr
58 Shah Aslam Land damaged Do 116-86-091023 2,000 pkr
59 Hazarat amen House damaged Arin u/c Bahrain 15602-6626151-5 2,000 pkr
60 Fazal wahid Destitute Bahrain u/c Bahrain 15602-4889702-5 2,000 pkr

Our dear friends and donors are : Maham Ali's friends and family( Saman Tariq,Fawzia Naqvi, Faisal Bari, Ali Saggu, Rejaa Dar and Nashwa Shakeel, Zimmedar Shehri ( Islamabad) Nahid Pervez, Imran Agha, Jamila Shabnum, Christine Smith and Mohd Bilal)

Flood relief donations from Tahira Abdullah's family & friends:
- from UK: Muhammad Bilal, Shahnaz Hashmi,
- from UK: Bushra Farooqui & her colleagues & friends: Aslam Aziz, Danish Aziz, Samra Sheikh, Natasha Khan.
- from Bahrain: Shaheen & Tariq Liaqat Ali and their friends.
- from UAE: Durdana Saiyed, Amjad Ali Khan, Haroon Sheikh, Tehmina Qureshi, Rizwan Khalid,
- from Canada: Saba Jamaluddin.
- from USA: Sabira & Navaid Qureshi, Dr. Sabiha Iqbal, Uzma Aslam Khan.
- from Karachi/Pakistan: Talha Siddiqui, Rabia Garib & colleagues at TQP, Nafis Aslam Khan, Shahzad Mahbub.
- from Lahore/Pakistan: Qudsia Saeedullah Khan, Nighat Saeed, Muhammad Khalid, M. Abu Bakr, M/S Shezan International, Shahzad Qasim, Nauman Khalid, Irfan Khalid,
- from Rawalpindi: Sikander Ellahi.
- from Wah: Asim Khan,
- from Islamabad: Tahira Abdullah, Naheed Aziz, Najma Mahmoodullah, Sarah Mahmood and her Playgroup, Kiran Aamir Qavi, Nadia Mir;
Dr. Sultan Hashmi; Sabiha Syed Muhammad; Nabeel Hameed,
- from Bagh/AJK: Mahmood Hussain c/o Nasreen Ramzan (EQ/2005 comrade)
_ SIGMA Motors
Amer A. Saiyid (Karachi), Omar A. Saiyid (USA), Tawwassul Ali Khans (USA),
From Hawaii University: Uzma Aslam Khan+friends - donations at a seminar into a box from University colleagues & students

Ghazala and Fauzia Minallah's friends and family:Amna Paracha, Attaullah Shah, Rangez Shah, Gina and her friend Zainab, Marium Burki, Zahid Saeed and Fareeda Saeed, Fakhar Zia, Nabeela Ahmad, Sara Mahmood, Nargis Ahmad, Mohsin and Madiha Qazi, Nuzhat Ahmad, Zarina Jamal, Mrs Umar Afridi and friends, Rena Naqvi.
Humaira Masihuddin and her friends and family ( Kulsum Khan, Fatimah Quadri,Tahira Syed, Mr. S.M.Qureshi, Saifullah Quadri, Mujtaba Quadri, Uzma Jamal, Dr Nisar Haq, Moina and Ehsan Haqqani )
Ali Faateh, Asad and Amna Shah,Aunty Huma, Samira Kakar-Khan her friends and family,Fauzia Asad Haider, Shahida Shah, Salma Babar, Ayesha, Dr.Shirin Ansari,, Mrs. Niazi and Mona Niazi, Zeba Mateen, Shehla Jamshaid, Mrs Salim ( Mother of Farrukh Salim), Abid Saleem, Ali Bilgrami , Mona and Akbar , Dr.Catalina Alliende, Zainab Kamal.

Falaknaz's Friends and Family:Sofia and Ali Khan, Tahir and Tabu, Zara Ali. Jean Elise Lewthwaite, Teachers of Murree Convent, Safya Aftab, Rweeda Himayat, Shahnawaz Khan.

Our dear friends from abroad, Waltraud Torrosian, Hugo Williams and his friends,(Jacky Wolf, Clarissa Leopold, Rebecca Zehr and their many friends), Sara Rezoagoli, Mr.Bernhard Wild, Isabelle Bouan, Maria Bader ( her friends and family) and Lynda Martin of Skyscrape foundation.

Funkor is grateful to Asian Network of Trust for providing us the story book ' Sadako's Prayer", Attaur Rehman Baig, Mahnoor and Mushfih, Maham Ali and her friends, Babarjan, Namrah Mahmood and Sharafuddin Alizada of Beaconhouse Community Services, Maria Bader her friends and family, Isabelle Bouan, Lynda Martin, Waltraud Torrosian, Bernhard Wild and Attaur Rehman Baig for helping us make this Eid a bit special for the flood affected children.

Amazing Maham !!!

2010-09-18T00:44:00.000-07:00

Photo credit Fauzia Minallah
Maham Ali, is the reason behind these children's excitement. These are a few of the 100 new suits she delivered, so that we can gift them to children in Tangi, Charssada and Nowshehra. Maham is an exceptional young student of Behria University who has been an amazing comrade in our work during the lawyers movement, helping the internally discplaced during the conflict in Swat and Malakand in 2009, raising funds for Pervaiz Masih's family, the Christian janitor who lost his life saving the lives of hundred young students in the suicide attack in Islamic University and now helping the flood affectees. Here is what she wrote about her work that makes us all proud:

Dear All,

I went to Nowshera on the 6th of September with my mother, brother (who went in the capacity of a doctor) and my friend, an exceptional young woman, Saleema Hamid. I consider myself very lucky that I got to work with Saleema who has remarkable organisational skills and who guided me every step of the way. This relief visit would not have been possible without Saleema.
We visited a neighbourhood called 'Daagi Khail Mohalla' consisting of 170 households, most of which had collapsed and which had not received any sort of relief prior to this. Saleema was the one who initially visited Nowshera right after the flood and with the help of Tanveer Zaman and his relative, Gull Mohammad who is a local of the area identified the neighbourhood.
As I write this, I don't know where to begin from. For the last month we have been hearing tragic stories about mothers who put their babies in water coolers and left them in the flood hoping that someone would find the babies and save them and we have been hearing how people in swat are being forced to eat leaves of the trees because they have absolutely no food. We have been seeing terrible images on the TV and one thinks that one has seen it all but then you visit the affected area, talk to people who have lost everything in this disaster and instead of feeling depressed and sad one is amazed by their faith, courage and strength.
This has been an emotional yet amazing experience for me. I remember when I initially started collecting funds for the flood victims, I got an overwhelming response from my friends and family abroad but I was a bit disappointed with the response I got from the people here- but I have been forced to change my mind. Everyone has been extremely generous and kind; from the shopkeeper who gave me 100 Shalwar Kameez instead of the 80 that I asked for, the money changer who, instead of giving us 84 rupees for a dollar, gave us 85 rupees per dollar when he found out the money was for the flood victims and even from my mother's optician who she had gone to get her glasses made and he gave her 5000 rupees for the flood victims.
A lot of thought and planning went into this trip because we did not want to give those people something that they did not need and we wanted to be fully organized and prepared before we go to deliver the relief items. So when Saleema first visited Nowshera, she asked the people what they needed. Saleema, Tanveer and Tauqeer went to Nowshera again 2 days before the delivery day and personally distributed relief-camp-tokens to every household so that the actual camp day would be very smooth and I am pleased to inform that the delivery day was very organized.
It would be unfair not to mention the efforts of Tanveer here. As Saleema wrote, 'without Tanveer's hardwork and his excellent coordination with the shop keepers, whole sale dealers, and truck drivers, this camp would not have been possible.'
Our list comprised of the following items as per requested by the residents, food was not given as it was not needed or requested; mattresses, pillows, comforters, floor mats, water coolers, buckets, mosquito repellent, tooth paste/brushes, soap and clothes.
We gave relief items to all the 170 households in ‘Daagi Khel Mohalla’ and 10 packs were given to the very needy people who lived in the same area. Each pack had the following stuff: 3 mattresses, 3 comforters, 3 pillows, 3 bed sheets and pillow cases, 1 floor mat, 1 water cooler, 1 bucket and mug, 1 pack of soap consisting of 4 soaps, 1 pack of coil consisting of 10 coils, 2 toothpastes and 5 tooth brushes and water purification tablets. cost of each pack: 3518 rupees. We took 2 trucks of relief items and the cost of each truck was 9000 rupees. We also distributed clothes among women and girls.
Apart from this I have also been sending money to Swat through members of civil society, Fauzia Minallah and Ghazala Minallah- two of the most remarkable women that I have the honour of knowing.
I also donated a 100 Shalwar Kameez for kids to Funkor Childart Centre of Fauzia Minallah which were personally delivered by Fauzia Minallah to the flood affected children.
You can read more about the relief efforts of civil society, Islamabad on Fauzia Minallah's blog: http://funkorchildart.blogspot.com/2010/08/flood-relief-efforts-in-swat.html
I am extremely grateful and thankful to all those who so generously contributed. This would not have been possible without your help and donations.
Thank you to all my friends as well who were always ready to help with the packing, ironing and even sewing.
I am attaching some pictures here. Rest of the pictures will be uploaded on Facebook soon. This is especially for the people who are not on Facebook. All the pictures have been taken by Saleema Hamid.
I'll keep everyone updated regarding our relief efforts. Thank you once again for your generous contribution and Eid Mubarak in advance.
Let us be a nation of doers and not just talkers.

Regards,
Maham
Photos by Saleema Hamid

Something Special for the Children of Bahrain, Swat

2010-09-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

Posted by Fauzia Minallah

This is what the children of Bahrain remember, a raging river. Many are traumatised and even the sound of tap water scares them. They have to be told that the river is kind to humans, it is the source of life itself. It is us adults who stopped listening to the rivers, to the trees. We need more buildings, we need more roads and we have taken away spaces that belong to the rivers and destroyed forests that keep the mountains strong. Because of us the adults, children had to see so much destruction.
This is what children of Bahrain witnessed:

So we wanted to help the children of Bahrain, especially those who fled with their families from the flood ravaged valleys of Kalam and Mankial. The relief goods we sent to our trusted friend from Bahrain, Zubair Torwali for distribution, had to be carried by labourers we paid. they carried the relief goods from Chikri, over broken paths and damaged bridges.

Idara Barai Taraqi at Moohn School, became our distribution point.

Zubair Torwali, Executive Director of IBT distributing the relief goods.

Juice packets a gift from Tahira Abdullah 's uncle were distributed among children.

CHildren who wished for books got the picture book 'Sadako's Prayer' in Urdu.

Grandma also got a juice packet.

Zubair Torwali distributed the juice packets in the relief camp for the flood affectees.

Fifty children recieved a gift pack each consisting of a sketch book, 6 coloured pencils, a shaprner , lead pencil and an eraser from Funkor Childart Center and a juice packet from Tahira Abdullah's beloved Chacha .

Zubair read them the story of Sadako and Amai the magical bird.

They were happy and thanked all of our dear friends who supported us.
On September, 6th we sent 489 Eid presents for children. Ahmad Faraz our volunteer accompanied the gifts.

They were delivered to Moohn School from where they were distributed, as soon as we get photos we will share them with you all.
Photos by Ahmad Faraz and Zubair Torwali

Each gift consists of an Eid dress and story book'Sadako ki dua',1 quarter litre Milk and a pack of 6 biscuits.
Rs, 200,000 were distributed through Zobair Torwali's Idara Baraye Taleem-o-taraqi among widows and other flood affectees and 150,000 rupees through Ziauddin's Global Peace Council in Swat were distributed.

My Visit to Bahrain
By Ahmed faraz

On 7th September, which was 27th Ramazan I took a Suzuki full of relief goods from Islamabad to Bahrain, Swat , which over 300 km away. I reached Chikri in eight and a half hours. It was the last point, beyond which there were no roads due to the floods. There Zubair Torwali received us. We got twelve labourers for carrying the goods and we reached Bahrain, in two and a half hours. The distance was twenty five km from Chikri to Bahrain. Each labourer was paid rupees 400 to 500 for each trip. We had to climb up and down steep mountain paths. I noticed that people’s expressions were very sad and depressed. They have gone back to the stone-age. There was no electricity, roads or proper telecommunication. Children and ladies were fetching water from wells in pots and pans. They did not expect electricity to return for at least ten years. Many places and villages were washed away with the flood. Every person was struggling in harsh conditions, but they did not lose hope. The remaining fields of fruits and vegetables were ready for selling but they had no access to the market, and this was a big loss for them .When I reached Bahrain I was very tired. It was Aftari time , and after breaking my fast I went to bed with out talking to anyone .When I was leaving Bahrain it was a sad moment for me , because I could not solve their problems. I left them helpless, but I saw their difficulties and I am raising their slogan. Please help them. These people are extremely needy.

Our dear friends and donors are : Maham Ali's friends and family( Saman Tariq,Fawzia Naqvi, Faisal Bari, Ali Saggu, Rejaa Dar and Nashwa Shakeel, Zimmedar Shehri ( Islamabad) Nahid Pervez, Imran Agha, Jamila Shabnum)

Tahira Abdullah's friends and family,from UK: Muhammad Bilal, Shahnaz Hashmi,from UK: Bushra Farooqui & her colleagues & friends: Aslam Aziz, Danish Aziz, Samra Sheikh, Natasha Khan. Shaheen & Tariq Liaqat Ali and their friends from Bahrain, Durdana Saiyed, Amjad Ali Khan, Haroon Sheikh, Tehmina Qureshi,from Canada: Saba Jamaluddin,
from USA: Sabira & Navaid Qureshi, Dr. Sabiha Iqbal,from Karachi: Talha Siddiqui, Rabia Garib & colleagues at TQP, Nafis Aslam Khan, Shahzad Mahbub,from Lahore: Qudsia Saeedullah Khan, Nighat Saeed, Muhammad Khalid, Abu Bakr, M/S Shezan International, from Rawalpindi: Sikander Ellahi,from Islamabad/Wah: Tahira Abdullah, Naheed Aziz, Najma Mahmoodullah, Asim Khan, Sarah Mahmood and her mother, Kiran Aamir Qavi & Nadia Mir; Dr. Sultan Hashmi; Sabiha Syed Muhammad; Nabeel Hameed)

Ghazala and Fauzia Minallah's friends and family:Amna Paracha, Attaullah Shah, Rangez Shah, Gina and her friend Zainab, Marium Burki, Zahid Saeed and Fareeda Saeed, Fakhar Zia, Nabeela Ahmad, Sara Mahmood, Nargis Ahmad, Mohsin and Madiha Qazi, Nuzhat Ahmad, Zarina Jamal, Mrs Umar Afridi and friends.
Humaira Masihuddin and her friends and family ( Kulsum Khan, Fatimah Quadri,Tahira Syed, Mr. S.M.Qureshi, Saifullah Quadri, Mujtaba Quadri, Uzma Jamal, Dr Nisar Haq, Moina and Ehsan Haqqani )
Ali Faateh, Asad and Amna Shah,Aunty Huma, Samira Kakar-Khan her friends and family,Fauzia Asad Haider, Shahida Shah, Salma Babar, Ayesha, Dr.Shirin Ansari,, Mrs. Niazi and Mona Niazi, Zeba Mateen, Shehla Jamshaid, Mrs Salim ( Mother of Farrukh Salim), Ali Bilgrami , Mona and Akbar , Dr.Catalina Alliende, Zainab Kamal.

Falaknaz's Friends and Family:Sofia and Ali Khan, Tahir and Tabu, Zara Ali. Jean Elise Lewthwaite, Teachers of Murree Convent, Safya Aftab, Rweeda Himayat, Shahnawaz Khan.

Our dear friends from abroad, Waltraud Torrosian, Hugo Williams and his friends,(Jacky Wolf, Clarissa Leopold, Rebecca Zehr and their many friends), Sara Rezoagoli, Mr.Bernhard Wild, Isabelle Bouan, Maria Bader ( her friends and family) and Lynda Martin of Skyscrape foundation.

Funkor is grateful to Asian Network of Trust for providing us the story book ' Sadako's Prayer", Mahnoor and Mushfih, Maham Ali and her friends, Babarjan, Namrah Mahmood and Sharafuddin Alizada of Beaconhouse Community Services, Maria Bader her friends and family, Isabelle Bouan, Lynda Martin, Waltraud Torrosian, Bernhard Wild and Attaur Rehman Baig for helping us make this Eid a bit special for the flood affected children.

Special Gifts for Children affected by the Floods

2010-09-07T03:27:00.000-07:00

Brief Info of the Relief Camp Visit to Charsadda & Pushtun Ghari on 4 Sep,2010

( 'Amai and Sadako' gifts were distributed among Children living in Relief camps opened in schools, for the flood victims)
Teams
Ms. Fauzia Minallah & her young volunteers, Ahsan Khan, Ishaq Ali, Aliyeh Khaleeli, Ahmad Faraz & Babarjan.
PELI Alums: Mr. Khurshid & Mr. Khalid – Charsadda
Mr.Zaki Ullah , ITA PELI Alum
Ms. Rubeen (Guest)
Idara i Taleem o Agehi: Mr. Abu Bakar & Ms. Riffat Ayesha

Venue:Govt High School Tangi # 1 & 2
Facilitators – Mr. Khursheed & Mr. Khalid – PELI Alum
Almost 500 students benefited from Eid gifts comprising of dress, a story book, sketch book, pencil. Coloured pencils, sharpener & a ball. Besides this biscuits & milk was also distributed among young children.

Gammarian School - Pushtun Ghari
Facilitators Mr.Zaki Ullah & Ms. Rubeen – PELI Alum
Almost 400 students benefited with the gifts mentioned above.
Overall we managed to deliver what we came for. We are greatly obliged to Ms. Fauzia Minallah for her unflinching love & support for the unfortunate flood victims (IDPs). More inspiration and beauty was added to these relief sites by the motivated young volunteers brought forth by Ms. Fauzia.
Secondly; special thanks to PELI Alums who had arranged this event and brought smiles on many faces by facilitating the guests & the children of the camps. Their dedication is worth appreciating for smooth running of the learning & healing centers.
by
Riffat Ayesha ITA

Pastun Garhi, Pabbi

Infront Babarjan, Fauzia Minallah 2nd row Aliyeh Khaleeli, Ishaq Ali, Riffat Ayesha, Ahsan Khan, back row Ahmad Faraz and Abu bakar

Tangi, Charsadda

Govt High School No 1 Tangi.

Govt High Schol No.2 Tangi.

Govt High School No.1. Tangi

Photo credits: Fauzia Minallah and Ishaq Ali
Reflections:

by Aliyeh Khaleeli. Member of a Charitible trust Cakes for A Cause (CAC).

Our country has been ravaged by the proxy war on terror, devastated with the destructive earthquake of ‘05 and the recent displacement of the Idp’s. Just when we thought, the worst was over it turned out to be a lull in the storm. Another tragedy struck our barely recuperating country; the floods of ‘10.

The enormity of the havoc and wreckage of the floods forced my conscience to persistently keep knocking , until I answered. The answer had to be something more than just a monetary donation; more than just phone calls to others convincing them to loosen the purse strings, it had to be a physical undertaking. Where I too had a fleeting glimpse in the world of those affected by the floods, where I too breathed the air they breathed, stood on the cold concrete ,where children would lay their heads and fall fast asleep.
I was given this opportunity through Mam Fauzia Minallah. In liaison with the Idara Talem o Agahi that facilitated our trip and identified the places to visted. To both,Fauzia Minallah and ITA I’m extremely grateful for the experience.

Whatever devastation we had assumed, it was worse. There can be no substitute for the way a toddler looks at you, desperation and desolation etched in the very pupils of his eyes. When you look at a sea of children who look old and so fatigued, it can shatter the very fabric of human stability.

The experience was humbling. When people spoke of the victims ingratitude despite how much was given to them: it shamed me into a self inspection ; a crude reminder of our constant grumbling and ingratitude towards Allah‘s bounties.

I cannot take take credit for that lies with Mam Fauzia, the ITA, and the volunteers, whom I shall remember with their associated tasks. Ehsan ,who checked the sizes of almost each of the 1000 outfits against the children , came to be called the “Darzi” or tailor. Babar jan , who worked hard at volunteering and at being in the pictures, is now known as the “Politician” amongst us. Ishaq , who was our all rounder , did all the laborious work of unloading and carrying up the donations but due to the last hour spent taking pictures for Mam Fauzia , got the undue title of the ‘ lazy photographer’. The journey will stay with all of us for a long time for different reasons, unknown to all of us.

How do I know this? For just as I’m about to sleep , at the edge of unconsciousness two piercing toddlers eyes reverberate through the folds of memories, leaving me wide awake.

By Ishaq Ali. 18

On 04 September 2010, we were a group of students from beaconhouse school system margalla campus visited the flood affected areas, to distribute gifts amongnorganised by Madam Fauzia Minallah . We left for Charssada at 6:20 in the morning . We had taken some food and new clothes for the IDP children. We reached Tangi at 9:00 am and there was a government high school where all the IDPs were living .The moment we entered the school ,we had noticed smiles on the faces of the children . We started disturbuting clothes and gifts them according to their sizes . After that we disturbuted milk and biscuits. We moved to another govenment high school no 2 where twice more IDPs were present than the first school. As we appeard , a crowd of children started making noise with cheerfull faces. we settled them with the help of boy scouts present there .

After distributing all the items to them that we had with us. We had asked some questions regarding their issuses and other sources of support. we come to know that they were not supported by any NGO or government agencies yet .afterward we moved to the government girls high school where a crowd of girls were taking classes . We disturbuted some books and clothes among them . They were reading the book with great concentration and were pleased by our presence. We arranged a skill competition in which we tested their reading abilities . We presented gift to the winners .

Finally we went to Pukhtoongharhi ,there were a huge crowd of children who were already waiting for us . They were so excited by our arrivals and started cheerfull noises . Again we did the same job, disturbuted clothes according to their sizes. We took some pictures of areas which were destroyed by the floods. This was the last location after which we headed home.

It was really a good and remarkable experience of my life which I will never forget . After visiting these areas I really felt what they were feeling. I have learnet many things from this visit which will help me in my life . Above all I was really impressed by the courage and ability to face huge challenges of these children. Spiritually I really feel happy by helping them and Inshallah in future as well I will participate in these sort of activities.

At last Ia m very thankfull to Madam Fauzia for arranging such a humanitarian activity and to Madam Riffat Ayesha and Mr.Abubakar of ITA for making it possible for us to visit this area.

By Ahmed Faraz.
F.G College for Men F.10/4 Islamabad.
September 4th was a very important day of my life because I was a part of a group of volunteers who were going to help displaced persons and specially innocent children. We had to go to three schools in Tangi, Charsadda one school in Pashtungarhi, Pabbi. There were more than 500 children. We gave them new clothes, picture books, biscuits and milk. It was very difficult to control them and distribute the things in that situation. Every child was helpless and needed help from those who knew the importance of humanity. While distributing a four year old girl did not take the milk at first. She thought that if she took the milk then we would not give her a new dress. One four year old boy who was wearing a completely torn shirt needed a new suit. These were very sad moments for me!

Funkor is grateful to Asian Network of Trust for providing us the story book ' Sadako's Prayer", Mahnoor and Mushfih, Maham Ali and her friends, Babarjan, Namrah Mahmood and Sharafuddin Alizada of Beaconhouse Community Services, Maria Bader her friends and family, Isabelle Bouan, Lynda Martin, Waltraud Torrosian, Bernhard Wild and Attaur Rehman Baig for helping us make this Eid a bit special for the flood affected children.

Thank you Waltraud !!!

2010-09-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend Waltraud Torrosian organized a public fundraising at the Naschmarkt in Vienna,called "One EURO for PAKISTAN". She used some of the photos from our blog and magnified them.

Waltraud with her husband Leon.

'Amai and Sadako's' gifts for Flood Affected Children

2010-08-31T02:11:00.000-07:00

Funkor childart center has distributed 'Amai and Sadako's' gifts among thousands of Internally Displaced children in 2009. Please help Funkor in distributing Eid gifts among children in 'child friendly spaces' set up by Idara-e-Taleemo-o- Agehi in relief camps in Charsadda and Nowshehra. We have prepared 500 gifts for girls between the ages of 5-15. All we need is for you to donate just one new shalwar kamiz that a boy can wear this Eid. It be an Eid dress for a boy you can choose the size between 5 -15 years. Please make sure they are made for the summer and they are new.

We are planning to distribute :

250 gifts for girls of 12-16 years ........ Each gift consists of an Eid dress and a story book 'Sadako ki dua'
250 gifts for girls of 5-11 years ........ Each gift consists of an Eid dress,story book'Sadako ki dua' , sketch book, pencil, a pack of 6 coloured pencils a sharpner and a ball

250 gifts for boys of 5-11 years ........ Each gift consists of an Eid dress, story book'Sadako ki dua', sketch book, pencil, a pack of 6 coloured pencils a sharpner and a ball

250 gifts for boys of 12-14 years ........ Each gift consists of an Eid dress and story book'Sadako ki dua'.

Each child will also be given 1 quarter litre Milk and a pack of 6 biscuits.

Funkor is grateful to Mahnoor and Mushfih, Maham Ali and her friends, Babarjan, Namrah Mahmood and Sharafuddin Alizada of Beaconhouse Community Services, Maria Bader her friends and family, Isabelle Bouan, Lynda Martin and Wild Kunstraum for helping us make this Eid a bit special for the flood affected children.

Food Distribution in Swat Kohistan.

2010-08-30T04:57:00.000-07:00

Photos and Report by

Zubair Torwali,

Executive Director,

Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi (IBT),

Bahrain, Swat KP, Pakistan.

Area:

Swat Kohistan (03 Union Councils namely Bahrain, Mankiyal and Balakot)

By: Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi (IBT), Bahrain Swat.

Donated by: Civil Society, Islamabad-through Miss Ghazala Minallah

Number of Packages: 80

Quantity of each package
Item Quantity Cost
Flour (atta) 20kg 600 PKR
Sugar 05kg 380 PKR
Rice 05kg 240 PKR
Ghee 2.5kg 260 PKR
Daal (Channa) O2kg 140 PKR
Bean 01kg 80 PKR
Tea o.5kg 300 PKR
Total 36kg 2000PKR

Expenses

IBT bought the 80 packages at Chikri near Fatepur. It is at a distance of 25 kilometers from Bahrain. Beyond Chikri one has to carry the food items on shoulders. IBT hired laborers for the carriage of the food packages from Chikri to Bahrain at the rate of 500 PKR per package. Usually the laborer charges 650 PKR but IBT arranged the laborers for 500 PKR per package.
# Head Quantity/number Cost per unit Total cost
01 Food packages 80 2000 PKR 160,000 PKR
02 Transportation 80 500 PKR 40,000 PKR
Total 200,000 PKR

Details of the recipients
# Name of the recipient Status Address CNIC #
01 Attaul Rehman House damaged Bahrain, u/c Bahrain 15602-5381940-7
02 Jehan Zeb Khan Shop damaged -do- 15602-0494198-5
03 Mohammad Saleem Disabled -do- 15602-0519417-7
04 Raham Za Widow -do- 15602-0600171-8
05 Majida Widow -do- 15602-7303835-0
06 Tasleem Baigum Widow -do- 15602-8273390-4
07 Sohni Widow -do- 15602-8395428-2
08 w/o Abdul Jalil Widow Osha, u/c Bahrain 15602-0498723-9
09 Wali azam House damaged -do- 15602-1061387-5
10 Razia Baigum Husband disabled -do- 15602-5283949-3
11 Khadim Hussain House damaged Lagan, u/c Bahrain 15602-0444836-5
12 Mohammad Riaz Land damaged -do- 15602-0508298-7
13 Hakam Khan Restaurant damaged Osha, u/c Bahrain 15602-4283694-7
14 Khaista Gul Land damaged -do- 15602-0529369-5
15 Inaan Widow Lagan, u/c Bahrain 42101-3318083-1
16 Gul Shah Widow -do- 116-40-2115828
17 Alamgir Land damaged Osha, u/c Bahrain 15602-0508851-7
18 Sherin Zada House damaged -do- 15602-1154379-7
19 Rozi Gul House damaged -do- 15602-8657771-7
20 Shamsul Ayaz Destitute Shagai, u/c Mankiyal 15602-8378153-9
21 Sultan Zaiba Widow -do- 15602-9600801-6
22 Sohu Jan Widow Darolai, u/c Mankiyal 15602-5420796-4
23 Bakht Zaman House damaged -do- 15602-0191401-7
24 Malang Jan House& land damaged -do- 17201-1656989-3
25 Lal Zehra Widow -do- 15602-8643074-2
26 Khanzada House damaged -do- 15602-9766523-9
27 Miraj Gul Land damaged -do- 15602-1743064-1
28 Akhter Zaman Disabled -do- 15602-8807775-1
29 Arzo Mand Disabled -do- 15602-1869002-9
30 Qaimat Zaroon Husband disabled -do- 15602-4238356-6
31 Sher Mohammad Land damaged -do- 15602-0364122-7
32 Khair Mohammad Land damaged -do- 15602-1841882-5
33 Abdul Qayum Destitute -do- 15602-9167510-1
34 Munijja Bibi Widow -do- 116-85-292090
35 Gulfam Widow -do- 15602-2461822-2
36 Talimana Bibi Widow -do- 15602-0358121-4
37 Ahmad Ali Destitute -do- 15602-0498812-3
38 Gujaria Widow -do- 15602-9553167-0
39 Rohi Lal Widow -do- 15602-0388783-8
40 M. Zahir Shah House & land damaged Bahrain, u/c Bahrain 15602-0440213-9
41 Mukhtar Ahmad House damaged -do- 15602-5143324-3
42 Naseeb Jan Widow -do- H800123789
43 Pir Mohammad Destitute -do- 15602-0424931-9
44 Fazale Akbar Destitute -do- 15602-4221617-9
45 Abdul Hadi House damaged -do- 15602-4179417-7
46 Shamim Akhter Widow Surbaat, u/c Balakot 15602-5774306-0
47 Mohammad Pervez Destitute Lambat, u/c Bahrain 15602-7402889-9
48 Noho Widow Surbaat, u/c Balakot 15602-0345855-6
49 Shahi Bibi Disabled -do- 15602-8262602-0
50 Razia Destitute Kanga, u/c Balakot 15602-3631233-6
51 Rahmat Gul Disabled -do- 15602-7431103-1
52 Jehan Zeb Disabled -do- 42101-4503986-5
53 Mohammad Sadiq Destitute -do- 15602-9478066-7
54 Zahoor Ahmad House damaged Jail, u/c Bahrain 54400-8952923-3
55 Saeedullah House damaged -do- 15602-6767245-9
56 Pervez House damaged -do- 15602-0509097-1
57 Gul Nabi House damaged -do- 15602-7480338-5
58 Inzer Gul Destitute Kun, u/c Balakot Nil
59 Dam Saaz Disabled Kanga, u/c Balakot 15602-4577048-3
60 Naila Land damaged Bahrain, u/c Bahrain 15602-4124608-8
61 Aliya Destitute -do- 15602-3077560-0
62 Rabia House damaged -do- 15602-2796711-2
63 Jamshid House damaged Ramet, u/c Mankiyal 15602-0372437-1
64 Mohammad Nabi House damaged Ghorijo, u/c Mankiyal 15602-6680993-9
65 Janwari Baigum Widow Kul Ban, u/c Bahrain 15602-1875785-2
66 Mohammad Zaman Land damaged Ramet, u/c Mankiyal 15602-0318472-9
67 Baigum House damaged Daral, u/c Bahrain 15602-2103859-9
68 Tahira House damaged Kanga, u/c Bahrain 15602-6861851-4
69 Bashir Ahmad House damaged Jail, u/c Bahrain 15602-4668138-1
70 Mohammad Saleem House damaged Torwal, u/c Balakot 15602-7687338-3
71 Dilshad Baigum Widow Kedam, u/c Balakot 15602-4189422-8
72 Bajari Widow -do- 15602-9476881-2
73 Azizullah House damaged Mankiyal, u/c Mankiyal 15602-7720690-1
74 Hazartullah House damaged Daroali, u/c Mankiyal 15602-0445883-5
75 Mohammad Nisar House damaged Bahrain, u/c Bahrain 15602-0324405-1
76 Perdes House damaged Kedam, u/c Balakot 15602-8684322-0
77 Shezadgai Widow -do- 15602-3184208-5
78 Sharifullah House damaged -do- 116-51-119546
79 Raja House damaged -do- 116-46-141655
80 Hussain Zaiba Widow -do- 15602-5990599-0

No. of beneficiaries:
# House damaged Widows Land damaged Disabled Destitutes Total
01 28 23 09 08 10 80

Prepared and submitted with thanks by:

Zubair Torwali,

Executive Director,

Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi (IBT),

Bahrain Swat, KP, Pakistan.

Email: ztorwali@gmail.com

Contact: 0305 907 8944, 0346 919 6360

Our dear friends and donors are : Maham Ali's friends and family( Fawzia Naqvi, Faisal Bari, Ali Saggu, Rejaa Dar and Nashwa Shakeel, Zimmedar Shehri ( Islamabad) Nahid Pervez, Imran Agha, Jamila Shabnum) Amna Paracha, Tahira Abdullah's friends and family,from UK: Muhammad Bilal (x2), Shahnaz Hashmi,from UK: Bushra Farooqui & her colleagues & friends: Aslam Aziz, Danish Aziz, Samra Sheikh, Natasha Khan.
from Bahrain: Shaheen & Tariq Liaqat Ali & their friends. from UAE: Durdana Saiyed, Amjad Ali Khan, Haroon Sheikh, Tehmina Qureshi,from Canada: Saba Jamaluddin,
from USA: Sabira & Navaid Qureshi, Dr. Sabiha Iqbal,from Karachi: Talha Siddiqui, Rabia Garib & colleagues at TQP, Nafis Aslam Khan, Shahzad Mahbub,from Lahore: Qudsia Saeedullah Khan, Nighat Saeed, Muhammad Khalid, Abu Bakr, M/S Shezan International, from Rawalpindi: Sikander Ellahi,from Islamabad/Wah: Tahira Abdullah, Naheed Aziz, Najma Mahmoodullah, Asim Khan, Sarah Mahmood)

Attaullah Shah, Gina Aziz, Marium Burki, Zahid Saeed, Fakhar Zia, ,Nabeela Ahmad, Sara Mahmood, Nargis Ahmad, Mohsin and Madiha Qazi, Nuzhat Ahmad, Zarina Jamal, Mrs Umar Afridi and friends.
Humaira Masihuddin and her friends and family ( Kulsum Khan, Fatimah Quadri,Tahira Syed, Mr. S.M.Qureshi, Saifullah Quadri, Mujtaba Quadri, Uzma Jamal, Dr Nisar Haq, Moina and Ehsan Haqqani )
Ali Faateh, Asad and Amna Shah, Samira Kakar-Khan her friends and family,Fauzia Asad Haider, Shahida Shah, Salma Babar, Ayesha, Shirin Ansari,, Mrs. Niazi and Mona Niazi, Zeba Mateen, Shehla Jamshaid, Mrs Salim ( Mother fo Farrukh Salim), Ali Bilgrami , Mona and Akbar ,
Falaknaz's Friends and Family:Sofia and Ali Khan, Tahir and Tabu, Zara Ali. Jean Elise Lewthwaite, Teachers of Murree Convent, Safya Aftab, Rweeda Himayat, Shahnawaz Khan.
Our dear friends from abroad, Mr.Wild, Isabelle Bouan, Maria Bader ( her friends and family) and Lynda Martin of Skyscrape foundation.
posted by Nosheen Malik

Sitting on a time bomb

2010-08-26T00:52:00.000-07:00

A group of civil society members, including myself, visited some areas around Mingora recently, and what we saw was horrifying. This part of Swat was not badly affected, yet in some areas the houses were heaps of rubble, and men were guarding what was once their home, due to the fear of the land-grabbing mafia. I remember how the IDPs would yearn for their homes. Now, for many of them those homes are gone. The Swatis have gone through hell in the last three years. They are depressed, angry and helpless. All they want is a roof over their heads. At one location we were almost trampled by a crowd of women and their desperation was heartrending. A 10-year-old boy crouched in the rubble of his house, hammering at some bricks. He said he was removing the cement from them to build their house again. An old man said that when the water came he ran to save his life, but even then he did not forget to grab a quilt which his students had made for him years ago. A young couple fled their home with their 8-month-old babyboy who was sick, but since the roads were blocked they couldn't get to a hospital and the baby died of pneumonia. A woman with three small children lost her husband. The husband had managed to get his family out but was swept away himself. An old woman lost everything and now lives in a tiny tent where her home once was. The stories are endless. Most of the homeless families are living with their relatives -- but for how long? There is no work, no income, and soon the winter will arrive with its own set of problems. Millions are suffering from psychological trauma, and unless they are given shelter soon, there will be total anarchy.
Undoubtedly we have contributed to this calamity in countless ways. The timber mafia is directly responsible for the devastation in the mountainous regions, but are we going to do anything about this menace? Probably not, because they are mostly the ones in the corridors of power. We need to adopt a united strategy, since no single body can do this alone. I do not want to sound patronising, but I felt it was my moral duty to share my fears with you. The scenes that I witnessed will haunt me for a long time and I pray that this calamity does not prove to be the last straw as far as the survival of our beautiful country is concerned.
Ghazala Minallah
Islamabad

Very Special Donors

2010-08-25T04:11:00.000-07:00

Mahnoor 14 and Mushfaih 11 did not celebrate their birthdays this year as they always do. They did not order any expensive cake. Mahnoor did not want the gifts she usual recieves from her family members and instead donated the money for children affected by the floods.
It is not that they did not have fun on their birthday infact they had loads of fun.

Mahnoor and Mushfaih have donated the money to us which we will be spending on buying special Eid gifts for children in relief camps. I wish other children would follow their example. Thank you Mushfaih and Mahnoor you both are our very special donors like Saleha Zahid , Fatima Quadri, Khadija Asfandyar, Zain Haq, Mehernaz Haq, Sherbano Haq and Shahida Shah's little neice who cancelled her birthday last month & sent her donations for kids who were flood victims .

by Fauzia Minallah

Flood Relief Efforts in Swat

2010-08-23T04:55:00.000-07:00

On August 21st Ghazala Minallah, Samar Minallah and Falaknaz Asfandyar and Fauzia Minallah visited Mingora, accompanied by Shiza Shahid and Myra Iqbal of Shajar Ilm, visited Swat to help the flood affectees. The following locations were visited.
1. Marghuzar town and Bhuttai chowk
2. Sarosh Academy, Mingora
3. Murghazar Valley

Murghuzar valley, in Swat.

Falaknaz giving donations to widows in Murghuzar Valley

Fauzia talking to children about the Hygiene promotion material she developed in 2005 for UNICEF for the affectees of the devastating earthquake who lived in relief camps.

Water is the most beautiful gift of nature, Swat looked so beautiful with rivers and streams filled with water. Yet it was this raging water that swept away villages and towns.

These big boulders were carried by the raging waters and have raised the level of the ground, crushing houses on its way.

Sadia and Halim are one of many children who are homeless now.

Sarosh Academy, distribution organised by Global Peace Council, for Civil Society Islamabad and Shajar-IlmOur little volunteer Khadija .

Ghazala giving donation to another widow

Samar giving donation to an affectee from Shangla

Shiza Shahid of Shajar Ilm

Murghuzar Colony and Bhattai Chowk

12 year old Noman removing cement from bricks to reuse on his devastated home. Surely a sign of hope.

These were shops but now filled with silt.

Samar interviewing an affectee.

Some children of the devastated homes in Murghuzar Colony

Myra Iqbal of Shajar Ilm

This was once called 'Khooni Chowk' or the 'Bloody square' where talibans would slaughter people and leave their dead bodies to rot. After the military operation in 2009 some normalcy have been restored, but for some people of Swat who had witnessed the horrors of talibans as well as army shelling , in 2010 they had to experience one of the most devastating floods of all times too.

Makanbagh, Mingora

This bridge was built only 3 years ago. This is the result of rampant 'corruption' in every department.
Photos by Fauzia Minallah and Ahmad Faraz
Members of CSI, concentrated mostly on women. In Makan bagh women from Bangladesh, Mingora were also present. Rs 3000/- per family was distributed among 100 women.
In Murghuzar town and Bhuttai chowk 79 families were given RS 3000 each.
Global peace committee, Swat organized distribution of flood relief for Civil Society Islamabad and Shajar Ilm, where 134 families from Kabal, Khawaza khela, Kokarai, Shangla, Cham shin and Shin were given Rs.3000/- per family by CSI and 100 families by Shajar Ilm.
In Murghuzar town, Bhuttai chowk and Makan Bagh there is an absence of an organized camp for the affectees. According to the affectees they received hygiene kits from ACTED.
In Murghuzar valley, Rs 3000/- per family among 42 families were distributed, who are staying in a Government primary school. They were in an organized camp set up by the army and visited by different organizations , UNICEF among others.

UNICEF had pasted ‘Hygiene’ promotion posters on the walls of the school which where designed by Fauzia Minallah in relief camps after the devastating earth quake in 2005.

Rs. 200,000/- were handed over to Mr.Ziauddin of Global Peace Committee, Swat.
Water purifying tablets were distributed in Murghuzar valley and Tahirabad.
Rs. 200,000 more were given to Ghazala Butt for Bahrain.

Our dear friends and donors are : Maham Ali's friends and family( Fawzia Naqvi, Faisal Bari, Ali Saggu, Rejaa Dar and Nashwa Shakeel, Zimmedar Shehri ( Islamabad) Nahid Pervez, Imran Agha, Jamila Shabnum) Amna Paracha, Tahira Abdullah's friends and family,from UK: Muhammad Bilal (x2), Shahnaz Hashmi,from UK: Bushra Farooqui & her colleagues & friends: Aslam Aziz, Danish Aziz, Samra Sheikh, Natasha Khan.
from Bahrain: Shaheen & Tariq Liaqat Ali & their friends. from UAE: Durdana Saiyed, Amjad Ali Khan, Haroon Sheikh, Tehmina Qureshi,from Canada: Saba Jamaluddin,
from USA: Sabira & Navaid Qureshi, Dr. Sabiha Iqbal,from Karachi: Talha Siddiqui, Rabia Garib & colleagues at TQP, Nafis Aslam Khan, Shahzad Mahbub,from Lahore: Qudsia Saeedullah Khan, Nighat Saeed, Muhammad Khalid, Abu Bakr, M/S Shezan International, from Rawalpindi: Sikander Ellahi,from Islamabad/Wah: Tahira Abdullah, Naheed Aziz, Najma Mahmoodullah, Asim Khan, Sarah Mahmood)

Attaullah Shah, Gina Aziz, Marium Burki, Zahid Saeed, Fakhar Zia, ,Nabeela Ahmad, Sara Mahmood, Nargis Ahmad, Mohsin and Madiha Qazi, Nuzhat Ahmad, Zarina Jamal, Mrs Umar Afridi and friends.
Humaira Masihuddin and her friends and family ( Kulsum Khan, Fatimah Quadri,Tahira Syed, Mr. S.M.Qureshi, Saifullah Quadri, Mujtaba Quadri, Uzma Jamal, Dr Nisar Haq, Moina and Ehsan Haqqani )
Ali Faateh, Asad and Amna Shah,Samira Kakar-Khan,Fauzia Asad Haider, Shahida Shah, Salma Babar, Ayesha, Shirin Ansari,, Mrs. Niazi and Mona Niazi, Zeba Mateen, Shehla Jamshaid, Mrs Salim ( Mother fo Farrukh Salim), Ali Bilgrami , Mona and Akbar ,
Falaknaz's Friends and Family:Sofia and Ali Khan, Tahir and Tabu, Zara Ali. Jean Elise Lewthwaite, Teachers of Murree Convent, Safya Aftab, Rweeda Himayat, Shahnawaz Khan.
Our dear friends from abroad, Mr.Wild, Isabelle Bouan, Maria Bader ( her friends and family) and Lynda Martin of Skyscrape foundation.
posted by Nosheen Malik

Lets unite like the drops in the raging rivers

2010-08-20T00:42:00.000-07:00

Ghazala Minallah
On behalf of a group of random citizens called the ‘civil society’ of Islamabad , I would like to pay tribute to the much larger random group of generous citizens from all over the country and abroad whose donations have enabled us to do what we are doing. We may be a few faces which the public sees, but we represent a much larger group of ‘real heroes’ without whose trust and generosity we would be nowhere. The idea of mobilizing people began during the military operation in Swat, when hundreds of thousands of people were fleeing Swat and other parts of the Malakand division to seek refuge in the countless camps, both official and non-official, in various parts of the former N.W.F.P. The campaign began with an SMS which we sent to all our contacts, asking them to forward it to their contacts. The response was amazing , because many of the donors were total strangers, and yet they trusted us with their money. A blog was created and was constantly updated along with photographs. This was not meant to be a cheap publicity stunt, rather it was our way of self accountability, which was extremely important for our credibility , as well as for the satisfaction of our donors.

Unfortunately our beautiful country is again crying out for help, and we could not cover our ears and pretend we could’nt hear them. The calamity we are facing as a result of these devastating floods will have far reaching consequences. It will take a good many years for us to get over the aftermath of this calamity and obviously that is going to require a colossal amount of funding. But as long as we receive donations from all our friends out there, we shall continue to do whatever we can.

The campaign this time began with a candlelight vigil and prayer for the victims of the Margalla air crash and the victims of the flood. This was organized by a group ofamazing young people known as the PYA or Pak Youth Alliance . After the ceremony an announcement was made regarding collection of funds for the flood victims. An SMS was sent out and soon the funds started coming in.

This time the disaster is too widespread , and so we decided to focus on Swat, particularly the areas where hardly any aid was reaching. The roads and bridges beyond Madyan have been washed away. The exact number of people stranded up there is not known, but it is known that the figure is a very large one .One of the main reasons why we chose Swat was that although our resources are limited, and we would not be able to access those areas ourselves, we knew people belonging to these areas .These are friends we made during the IDP crissrs, little realizing at the time how important a role they would be playing in the not too distant future.

One of our main contacts in Swat is Ziauddin Yousafzai, who is owner and principal of Khushaal Public School . We handed over the first lot of funds we had collected to him, with which he bought rations in Mingora and distributed them in the area around Mingora, which were badly effected by the floods.We sent a truck of rations for 100 families to Mingora , which were picked up by our contact in Bahrain and taken by helicopter. This contact is an amazing young lady called Ghazala Butt, who I met at a seminar in Islamabad a few months ago. She waited for 3 days before she could get a helicopter ride to Mingora. She works in a Child Protection Centre in Bahrain , belonging to Aurat Foundation. However, she is helping us get the goods to Bahrain in her private capacity. She insisted on coming to collect the goods herself, since she wanted to be sure that the deserving people got it. She was stranded in Mingora for 3 days due to bad weather. The biggest problem in that area is that there is no land access, and the helicopters are dependent on the weather. So it took more than a week for the stuff to get to Bahrain . Ghazala called yseterday to inform me that she was abe to distribute the food packs in her area.

We have transferred money to Ziauddin again ,and also to Zubair Torwali, who belongs to Bahrain Swat and manages the organization IBT . He writes in different newspapers,and is the one who wrote a letter titled ‘From Swat with no love’in 2008 . This was when Swat was being plundered by the Taliban, heads were being chopped off and schools were being burnt, yet Pakistanis were out on the streets protesting against the American attack on Palestine. His letter was a wake-up call for many of us, and made us realize that we were oblivious to the tragedy in our own back yard. Now he is a key figure in helping us get food to the starving people of that area.

I have tried to cover our activities so far as briefly as possible, and we will continue to keep you posted. Please join us in mobilizing your friends and relatives. Lets unite like the drops in the raging rivers to reach out and help our desperate fellow country men and women.

Distribution of 100 food packs for 100 families in Faizabad, Swat

Medical camp organised by GPC, Swat with our help in Shangla, Swat

Flood Relief Efforts of Civil Society Islamabad

2010-08-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

Photo by Amjad Shahaab of Global Peace Council Swat

It is the most devastating monsoon season in Pakistan. We are experiencing some of the worst flooding Pakistan has seen in over 80 years. Entire villages have been swept away, causing death and destruction. With even more heavy rains predicted in the coming days, here are a handful of recent photographs of how we are coping with this latest disaster. We were there for the children in 'Crisis' during the devastating earthquake in 2005, the internally displaced from Swat and Buner in 2009 and now we will help as much as we can during this recent calamity. Although it is very different this time, there are large areas still inaccessable as the roads and bridges have been destroyed and swept away.

For our friends who helped Civil Society Islamabad in helping the flood victims, we would like to share the photographs of the distribution of flood relief and update all on how we have used the money so far.

Our donors are : Maham Ali, Amna Paracha, Tahira Abdullah's friends and family, Attaullah Shah, Gina Aziz, Marium Burki, Zahid Saeed, Fakhar Zia, Mrs.Nisar Haq,Nabeela Ahmad, Sara Mahmood, Nargis Ahmad, Mohsin and Madiha Qazi, Nuzhat Ahmad, Zarina Jamal, Mrs Umar Afridi and friends, Humaira Masihuddin and her friends and family ( Kulsum Khan, Fatimah,Tahira
Syed, Mr. S.M.Qureshi, Saifullah Quadri, Mujtaba Quadri, Uzma Jamal )Ali Faateh, Asad and Amna Shah, Through-Maham Ali, Fauzia Asad Haider, Shahida Shah, Zimmedar Shehri ( Islamabad) Nahid Pervez, Imran Agha, Jamila Shabnum, Ayesha, Shirin Ansari,, Mrs. Niazi and Mona Niazi, Zeba Mateen, Sofia and Ali Khan, Tahir and Tabu, Zara Ali.Mrs Salim ( Mother fo Farrukh Salim), Ali Bilgrami , Mona and Akbar , Jean Elise Lewthwaite, Teachers of Murree Convent.
While previously we were personally delivering the relief goods this time , considering the whole communication network ( roads/ bridges etc) is destroyed, we have decided to help our trusted friends in the affected areas. We have concentrated on the mountainous areas of Bahrain and Kalam cut off by the destruction of bridges. Ghazala Minallah contacted Ghazala Butt the Child Protection officer of Aurat Foundation in Bahrain after great difficulty. We also contacted Ziauddin Yousafzai in Mingora to contact her and also to distribute our relief goods through his organisation Global Peace Council, in Swat . Sofar we have sent money to:
Zubair Torwali of IBT-Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi or Center for Education and Development in Bahrain Swat Rs 200,000
Ziauddin Yousafzai of Global Peace Council Mingora. Rs 135, 500
Falaknaz Asfandyar Rs.160,000
Falaknaz was based in Mingora at that time and she personally distributed 50 food packs, for 50 families from a remote village in Marghazar valley which is cut off by the landslides, who were taking refuge in a Govt school. She chose Canteen General store as a distribution point where the distribution was done systematically through ID card numbers. She also distributed 20 family packs in a village called Faizabad, and helped Future Leaders of Pakistan in distribution of food packs in a village called Bangladesh.

Ghazala Minallah sent 100 family packs to Mingora. Young volunteers like Samad Khurram and Hamza accompanied the truck. They were stuck for one day in Mingora due to landslides and traffic jams. We have no photograhs to share of the activities of Ghazala Butt, Zubair Torwali and Ziauddin as there is no electricity no internet connection. We hope and wish they are safe!

This time it is different, it is more difficult!! But those who are not helping out in this calamity, Please wake up! Flood victims are crying for help. Forward this message and create a network. Every bit counts. We must unite like the drops in the raging rivers.

For those who would like to donate directly to us ( Ghazala Minallah, Fauzia Minallah, Falaknaz Asfandyar of CSI), our bank account details are as follows:
Account name: FUNKOR CHILD ART CENTRE
Account number. 144501010007007
SWIFT code MUCBPKKAA ( For some countries use MUCBPKKA with a single A )
Beneficiary Bank, MUSLIM COMMERCIAL BANK
Bank address, F 8, MARKAZ Branch , ISLAMABAD
For ONLINE transfer, you can go to any nearest branch of Muslim Commercial Bank which is ON LINE or Symbol Branch and can transfer money on account No. 144501010007007 Favouring FUNKOR CHILD ART CENTRE. If any problem you can contact Nosheen Malik 03454441173 or email us at funkor.childart@gmail.com

Those who would like to donate directly to Global Peace Council Pakistan Swat.
Account no: 61010100996-6
Askari Bank
Mingora Swat

For the affected districts of Sindh, the best organisation to support is led by Justice (Retd)Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, and an NGO named Aitemaad Pakistan Trust .
For further information please email direct at aitemaad@gmail.com or contact one of the following:
Nazim Haji (0321 822 0999) / Naeem Sadiq 0333 351 8539 / Zahid Ebrahim 0333 215 5840

Scenes from Mingora, Swat

Photos by Amjad Shahaab of Global Peace Council Swat

Relief Goods Delivery to Mingora photos taken by Samad Khurram.

Photos by Samad Khurram

Distribution of relief goods by Falaknaz Asfandyar in Mingora.

Photos by Falaknaz Asfandyar

Little Angels, the victims of a crazy war

2010-01-25T10:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas Gifts for Jonathan.

Five year old Jonathan, is the only son of Maneka and Younas Masih. He was born after 7 years of marriage, after many prayers. His parents worked hard to send him to a good school. On that fateful day when a teenager blew himself up in front of Naval Complex, Younas had just picked up Jonathan from school and were walking towards the car. Maneka was waiting in the car when she heard a blast, she looked back and saw smoke from where both Jonathan and Younas were emerging. She rushed toward them and picked up Jonathan, only to find his face had partial paralysis. Her hand that was holding his head had blood all over. Jonathan had a head injury and had to go through several operations. Thank god he was saved, he is a bright lively boy, but the shrapnel is still lodged in his brain. The doctors have assured his parents that hopefully he will not have problems, even though it is deep in the brain. Jonathan is not going to school these days because he can not walk properly and his left hand is paralyzed. With his right hands he excitedly opened his gifts for Christmas. Thanks to Dr. Zeba Mateen, Aisha, and Waltraud Torrosian we gave Rs. 35000 to Jonathan’s family for his medical care, not a single organization has helped this family so far, only Geo Tv interviewed them.

Rabia the little Angel.

12 year old Rabia was accompanying her teacher to the city when the devastating suicide blast happened in Meena bazaar, Peshawar. Rabia was holding her teacher’s 8 months old baby, due to the blast the baby fell from her hands. She got up to look for the baby only to find out that she had lost a leg after which she collapsed. She was admitted in the hospital, for at least one week. Her mother was already mourning the death of Rabia’s father who died of cancer only 10 days ago. Now she had to see her child in excruciating pain after undergoing several operations she finally died of infection in her stomach that was caused by a shrapnel.

Thanks to Brigitte Neubacher we gave Rs. 11200/- and Thanks to Waltraud Torrosian we gave Rs 20,000 to her mother.

For those who say it's not our war & Appeal for Donations

2009-11-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Photos from BBC website
by
Ghazala Minallah
I cannot get the image of the young wounded soldier lying helplessly in the CMH out of my mind. His thin bullet-riddled body was covered with bandages, and his face was sad. He was 21 years old, my son's age, and when I prayed for his recovery he asked me to pray for Pakistan. 'Pakistan hai to hum hain'. Another young soldier said that the nation was not being told the truth. The casualties were far more than those being reported. His grievance? That precious lives were being sacrificed in a war which most political leaders said was not theirs. Not a single government representative has ever bothered to visit the troops to boost their morale.I fail to understand that if my countrymen and women are being massacred, if my children are being killed and maimed, if my soldiers are coming home in coffins, then how is it not my war? Who are the people in the videos, cutting the throats of innocent citizens? Who was spewing poison in the FM broadcasts in Swat? Who is training young impressionable minds to blow themselves up in the name of God? Who challenged the writ of the state after the peace deal? Is Hakimullah an American, or was Baitullah a Jew, or is Fazlullah an Indian? And does it make any difference whether they are or not? For the mother who weeps over the ravaged body of her child, does the identity of the culprit matter? Were Mir Jafar or Brutus outsiders? Is it the name Taliban which is causing the problem? Are we really that stupid and naïve to fall for that argument?I request those who are confused about whose war this is to visit the bullet-riddled soldiers, the three-year-old daughter of Pervez Masih, the recently widowed Nasreen bibi in Lal Kurti, the hospitals in Peshawar where injured children scream in agony, and the graveyards where families have buried the pieces of their loved ones. These are the victims of a split second of madness. Does it matter what these murderers call themselves? Whoever they are, and whoever is behind them, they are traitors and enemies of Pakistan and Islam. Unless we recognise the enemy within, we will end up in history books as a nation that once was.

Donations for Blast Victims in Rawal Pindi/Islamabad Please call Ghazala Minallah: 0300 527 0330.

Contact: Maham Ali at maham.ali.05@gmail.com
..................................................................................
Urgently required for IDP camps in D.I.K for schools there, donate pencils ( lead and coloured) erasers, sharpners , copies, school bags, please contact Quatrina Hussain 0301-828-6168.
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Appeal for Peshawar blast victims
from Noor Donations
Dear all,
Recently Peshawar which is the provincial capital of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan has been under the grip of one of the worst terror attacks of its history. The new wave of terrorism that started on September 26, 2009 has claimed 205 lives, injured over 400 besides causing colossal material loss to the people. Peshawar, once known as a city of flowers and a home to centuries old cultural and historical heritage has become a mayhem of death, destruction for the last few months. The death and destruction continue unabated.
On October 28, 2009 a car bomb exploded at Cherri Koban Road between the densely populated Meena Bazaar and Koochi Bazaar. The car-bomb played havoc with human lives, killing 122 people, maiming and injuring over 250. The two markets mainly deal with daily use items for women. This was the reason that 33 out of 120 people killed in the deadliest blast were women and 12 children. Over a dozen people, including two couples, are still missing and are believed to have been killed and their bodies completely blown to pieces.
The people of Peshawar are yet to come out of the shock of the deadliest bombing in the city despite the passage of time. Those who lost their loved-ones in the worst terror acts are still in shock and trauma. Those who got the bodies of the victims have at least resigned to fate but there are others who continue to sit at the site suspended between hope and despair that they might find bodies of their dear ones as the removal of rubble at the blast sites continues at a snail pace.
The Meena Bazaar blast deprived several families of their sole breadwinners. A host of people have lost shelters and/or a lone source of their living or income as the area hit by terrorists destroyed the buildings that were serving both as residential facilities and shops.
The families which lost their breadwinners in the blast are worried about their survivals while those injured or maimed in the blast are in need of assistance to undergo proper medical treatment.
Our government is trying to deal with the crisis but is faced with several other issues and cannot meet the challenge of terrorism alone. It is time for us all—the members of the Civil Society—to rise up to the occasion, as witnessed previously during displacement of the internally displaced people from Swat and during the earthquake, to reach out to the affected people.
Numerous households are devastated by the recent inhuman and barbaric acts and are in dire need of help. Contacting all of them might take some time, but the media are reporting cases which can serve as a starting point for relief work. A group of individuals have decided to help the affected families by raising donations or some other kind of support for the above mentioned. A committee has been constituted with representation from different sections of the society to spear head the drive and seek your support and generosity.
Please contact anyone of the people whose names are given in the list for your own convenience or for the mentioned areas.
Ms Zubaida Noor –Peshawar for donations.
Email address : noor.zubaida@gmail.com
Phone: 091-5704802, 5703209. Cell # 03455560018.
Ms Rukhshanda Naz - Islamabad for donations.
Email: rukhnaz@hotmail.com ;
Cell # 03038872001
Dr Muhammad Salahuddin - Peshawar for medical support and donations.
Email: drsalah63@gmail.com, Cell # 0333-9163615.
Sehrish Khan for time input and donations.
Email: khan8798@yahoo.com
Phone: 091-5704802. Cell # 0334-5661366
Aftab Ahmad for media highlight and appeals for support and donations.
Email: aftabthenews@yahoo.com
Cell # 0301-8837677.
Hamza Saranjam for overseas donations.
Email: hamzasaranjam@gmail.com
Cell # +61420224068
Rahim Ahmad Khan Bangash for sending moneygram.
Email: rahim_ahmad@hotmail.com
NET Official Email: meraghar@brain.net.pk
Cell # +92-345-5560020
We appeal to the larger public to come forward and extend any kind of help possible to support the affected families by donating cash, in kind (goods, items) or even voluntary time to visit and console the families and show solidarity.
You can contact any member of the above mentioned committee for pledging your support or obtaining further information.
Direct cash donation can be sent to the given account number or send money gram in the name of the given person and address;
Bank details.
Account Name : Noor Donations
Account Number: 0224-79002497-03
Bank :Habib Bank Limited
Bank Address: Cantt Branch Peshawar, Pakistan (0224)
Swift Code: HABBPKKA224
Routing Code: 026007809
Moneygram details.
Name: Rahim Ahmad Khan Bangash
Address: House10, Hadi lane, Old Bara Road, University town Peshawar.
NIC: 14101-1067195-7
Check out the link for photographs of Meena Bazar bomb blast at;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/10/091028_pes_blast_pics_rh.shtml

UPDATE ON DONATIONS GIVEN BY US;

Rs 100,000 to Noor Foundation Courtesy Waltraud Torrorian 's friends in Austria for Rabia Shah

Rs. 30,000 Nasreen Bibi widow of Pindi Bank blast victim

Rs. 60,000 for 2 widows in Swat give to AIRRA

Rs. 30,000 Nusrat Jabeen, widow of the driver of Brigadier Moin Haider who was gunned down G 11, Islamabad

Thanks to Humaira Masihuddin, Mrs Nuzhat, Bushra Arbab, Rangez Shah, Farrah Ali, Faria and Abid Hassan, Helga Siddiqui & Bushra Shahid these donations were possible.

Diya - a Hero's Daughter

2009-11-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

Text & Photos by Fauzia Minallah

Diya with her father Pervez Masih's photograph

Diya 3 and her mother Shaheen

Diya is only three, she is lost and has many questions about her father Pervez Masih. Pervez was a janitor at the International Islamic University. On the fateful day when IIU was attacked by suicide bombers, he was the hero who stopped the terrorist from entering the cafeteria for female students. Pervez lost his life, while saving the lives of more than 300 students.
He will always be remembered as a true hero by us. Diya will always be known as a hero’s daughter by us.

The Minister of Interior, Mr. Rehman Malik, publicly announced that his family will receive a compensation of approximately $10,000. According to his widow Shaheen and sister Perveen, so far, the family has not been contacted by anyone from his office. The IIU administration helped the family with Rs. 10.000 for the burial costs, employed his widow Shaheen as a sanitary worker and promised to help with Diya’s education. Other than that there has not been any help from anyone for Pervez’s family. The only person who has helped this hero’s family so far is a young student of Behria University, Maham Ali. She motivated her friends to donate funds for Pervez's family. She collected Rs. 52,500 and bought toys and clothes for Diya.

Maham and Diya.

We might be going through tough times, but even in this darkness there is hope. And for me that hope is in young people like Maham. She was our pillar of support by collecting funds for our effort in helping the internally displaced Pakistanis.

As a society we need to recognize our heroes, we need to rise above our prejudices and name streets, buildings and squares after Pervez Masih. So what if he was a poor Christian sanitary worker, he saved the lives of 300 Muslim students. Shaheen is happy that the IIU administration have employed her, but we should ask ourselves, is it fiiting for a hero's wife to remain at the bottom of the social ladder? Doing the most menial job?

At least on November 16th on the 'International Day of Tolerance', Maham was there to cheer up Diya- a hero's daughter.

Here is a CNN story on Pervez Masih:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/11/11/pakistan.hero/

Some letters to the editor in The News.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

This is in response to the couple of letters (November 23) published as a follow-up on Maham Ali's letter of November 20. The letters have made allegations on Maham and Islamabad's civil society which are patently untrue. Maham has single-handedly raised over Rs50,000 for the family of Pervaiz Masih. Details of her work can be seen here (http://funkorchildart.blogspot. com/2009/11/diya-and-maham.html). In addition Islamabad's civil society, particularly Fauzia Minallah and Ghazala Minallah, has been actively helping people affected by Taliban atrocities. The writers of the aforementioned letters should have double-checked their facts before pointing accusatory fingers.Samad KhurramHarvard University,Cambridge, US

*****

This is with respect to the letters by Umayr Sahlan Masud and K Hussan Zia (November 23) in response to Maham Ali's letter on Pervaiz Masih (November 20). Maham had lamented the fact that the government has yet to come forward with any assistance for the family of Pervaiz Masih and any serious acknowledgement of his sacrifice in saving the lives of about 300 students at the Islamic University bombing. Instead of acknowledging her point, Umayr Sahlan Masud and K Hussan Zia have criticised Maham for being critical of the government and have asked why she herself did not start a fund for Pervaiz Masih's family by asking her fellow students for donations. I just want to set the record straight by pointing out that Maham has in fact been doing just that, and she has already collected over Rs50,000. So the criticism directed at her is rather unfair.

Aqil Sajjad . Boston

UPDATE ON DONATIONS GIVEN TO PERVEZ MASIH'S FAMILY

RS: 52,500 GIVEN BY MAHAM ALI AND HER FRIENDS

RS: 70,000 BY A DONOR WHO WISHES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, WHICH WAS GIVEN AS A RS.56,000 CHEQUE TO THE WIDOW AND RS.14,000 CHEQUE TO THE MOTHER OF PERVEZ MASIH

ANYONE WHO WISHES TO DONATE DIRECTLY: WIDOW SHAHEEN 0301 535 5933 MOTHER 0344 522 7253

Helping Children in Crisis

2009-10-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Pakistan is going through testing times. In early 2009, the military operation against Talibans started in Malakand division, due to which nearly 2.5 million people were displaced. Funkor Childart Center, organised special activities with nearly 1500 displaced children, using art and book reading to exorcise their fears. In collaboration with Civil Society Islamabad we distributed relief goods to nearly 3000 displaced families in Mardan, Swabi, Dargai and Islamabad. We also provided relief goods to the minorities, Sikhs, Christians and Hindus who had to flee the area because Talibans had imposed a tax, 'Jizia' on non-Muslims.
Funkor plans to organise more activities for the displaced children from Waziristan, where the military operation has started recently.

Distributing books in Mardan Church.

Distributing books in Mardan Church

Art activity in Islamabad

Art activity in Mardan Church

Helping the traditional craftsmen

2009-09-14T01:29:00.000-07:00

Some embroidery from Kanju, Shah Deri and traditional Swati shawls and scarves from Islampur and Fatehpur are available at Swat Valley Handicrafts, in craftsman village near Mobilink flower shops, F6 Islamabad. Thanks to the CDA, we helped a craftsman from Swat to get this shop, because his market was destroyed by the conflict in Malakand. It is a space specifically to promote traditional cratfs from Swat and craftswomen and men from Swat keep their hand made crafts in this shop for sale.

Donation for Khushal Public School for Girls Mingora

2009-08-20T22:53:00.001-07:00

by Nosheen Malik

Shajar-e-Ilm an emerging youth organisation, dedicated to promoting creative and progressive education throughout Pakistan, and creating networks of support for youth in the spheres of education and social activism, hosted a summer-retreat for 26 girls from Swat Valley from 14th to 20th August 2009. For more information please visit http://swatvalleygirls.com/

To hold this retreat, Shajar i ilm collaborated with a respected and progressive educationalist from Swat Valley, Ziauddin Yusufzai, who has been working selflessly for female education in Swat Valley despite tremendous opposition and threats. The award winning New York Times documentary “Class Dismissed in Swat Valley” documents his tireless efforts, which is available for general viewership on the New York Times Website.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/02/22/world/1194838044017/class-dismissed-in-swat-valley.html

As a healing experience for the girls of Swat Valley who suffered tremendously over the past few months Fauzia Minallah organised a painting activity, 'Painting Colours of Education', in which these promising young girls painted their hopes and aspirations about education.

They painted a mural as well, in which they depicted three girls, one in a black 'Burqa' who dreams of going to school, 'If only I could learn' is written next to her. Two girls are depicted in school uniforms with one holding a placard of 'IQRA' a word from the Holy Quran, highlighting the importance of education for both boys and girls. They wrote messages i.e
It is a duty of all Muslims to Educate themseves!
No one can Stop our Education!
Rebuild Our Schools!
We love Pakistan!

These young girls and thousands of girls in Swat have experienced immense trauma. They have seen violence of terrorism and war, shelling and bombing of their homes and destruction of their schools. For these promising young girls progressive individuals like Ziauddin are a ray of hope. His school Khushal School for Girls, Mingora needs help from all those who believe in enriching the lives of hundreds of girls who are enrolled in his schools with the gift of education. Against all odds he kept his schools opened, but three months of conflict made it impossible for him to pay salaries to his teachers. On urgent basis teachers have to get paid for 3 months the school remained closed due to the conflict. parents are not in a position to pay for the salaries. Private intiatives such as Khushal Public School need to be supported for a brighter future for children. Whoever wants to donate should do so in the following bank account:

Khushal Public School

Askari Bank Mingora,

Account No. 61 01 01 00 48 07 Current Account.

THANKS TO FOTON BUS SERVICE FUNKOR CHILDART CENTER DONATED RS. 100,000 WHICH WILL BE ENOUGH TO PAY FOR 3 TEACHERS' SALARY FOR 3 MONTHS. KPS NEEDS MUCH MORE THAN THIS DONATION INORDER TO PAY ALL THE TEACHERS.

Madiha Syed, Ghazala Minallah and Sara Mehmood Akhtar distributed Rs. 500 among all the girls to buy gifts for their parent.

Funkor Childart Center gifted paints and canvas to the young artists at Khushal Public School, for an art exhibition on 'Peace' held in Mingora on the occasion of International Day of Peace.

Artwork of Internally Displaced children

2009-08-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Fauzia Minallah, an artist who has encouraged the children to draw and paint, says they need help to exorcise their fear of both the Taliban and of army shelling...Barbra Plett, BBC

To read the article click on the following link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8079496.stm

Visiting Mardan Church

2009-08-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

by Tajrin Midhat

Tajrin Midhat with Christian children in Mardan

Sometimes I wonder who we are. It’s perhaps not so facile a question to be perceived by the mind that utilizes only one percent of its ability to think. For the mysteries of the universe and our existence within, is not a matter as self-explanatory as we may like to think with our limited intellect.

But what really is the significance of man in this limitless universe, in which there are far more galaxies than people? The vastness of the universe is incomprehensible. The starry heavens above us, the celestial order, and the imagination that can take one places that are magical…I am barred by my limited perception to explain something that my mind is incapable of fully perceiving.

And back on ground, there is Gojra, so much for man being the microcosm of the universe. What have we learnt from history? What has science and technology given us except a mathematical precision guaranteeing the accuracy of targeting arsenals at those who have taken no part in this course of modernity? Cynical, and disturbed, yes my thoughts are, but they only epitomize the hollowness of the times that we are living in.

The ‘Internally Displaced People’ are supposed to be the subject here, a term that evokes nothing but a feeling of indifference perhaps. No matter how disconnected it may sound from the reality of those who come to be defined under this term, it is yet another example of how the powerful has dictated the life course of the weak, the dominated, the suppressed. It’s not a story of today, but a fact that represents the primitive instinct of man to dominate, to control territory, exposing the dual face of globalization.

The Christian IDPs in Mardan are yet another story, same old story, we should say of a people whose lives are turned upside down by a political upheaval, not based on any ideology but that of relentless materialism, a war in which there is serious money involved. The uprooted victims are of course struggling well, for what choice do they have but to go on living, living for the sake of just living, perhaps in hope of a better tomorrow, not knowing perhaps that those in power are too blinded by the temporary pleasures of the world to abide by any universal principles of justice and righteousness.

We happened to visit a part of Mardan that has long been buried in some deep dark corner of the city’s soul. The 120 years old church built in the colonial time stands still. How indifferent is the land to the fate of the creatures that inhabit it. Those rulers are gone. The trees remain there, alive; they have survived the vicissitudes of time.

Perhaps it is only nature that takes a just course, whether it’s the ruins of a bygone power in the deserts of Egypt, or the lost glories of a sunken empire, time levels all. For in the end we are all made of the same clay and shall return to it.

It was Beautiful! Art Activity by Funkor in PODA IDPs Resource Center

2009-08-11T01:58:00.000-07:00

Funkor Childart Centre distributed 40 ' Amai & Sadako Gifts' among children.

By Afshan Bibi and Nazia Taj

Funkor child Art is an organization works with children for art activities. They visited Potohar Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA) IDPs Resource Center, at Pirwadahi Rawalpindi.
They facilitated children to make a mural. 38 children participated in this activity. Children were divided into two groups. Then Miss Nosheen Malik asked them to make beautiful environment on white cloth. Children were provided with painting material.
Pirwadahi, the slum area of Rawalpindi has the world’s most beautiful mind like any where else!!! Proved by Art Activity by Funkor. Children were enthusiastic extremely happy while painting trees, butterflies, flowers, sun, moon and houses the white cloth turned into a beautiful painting. Later on juices,biscuits, painting colors and drawing copies were distributed among children.
Thank you Fauzia Minallah and we wish you all the best!

Afshan Bibi and Nazia Taj work for the Potohar Organization for Development advocacy (PODA)

Helping Internally Displaced Christians in Mardan

2009-07-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

Northern Diocese, Sarhadi Lutheran Church, Mardan
We donated Rs 50,000/- to the IDP fund of the Church and distributed Rs. 3000 each among 50 displaced families now staying in the church and with host families.

Nearly 30 displaced Christian and a few Hindu families are staying in tents outside the church, the others are staying with host families.
Bishop Peter Majeed asked us to paint the mural with children in the church.

Painting a mural in the church.

Hamid Shah distributing the gifts among children.

Gifts were opened and the drawing copies and coloured pencils were put to use.

Mary proudly showing her drawing.

Sonia showing her drawing to Sara

Artists who painted the mural............. Michel

Shalloo

Nikaash

Naina

Raakesh

Simran

Anil

All the artists recieved a copy of 'Sadako's Prayer'

Learning how to play Ludo game we gave as a gift.

An officer from the Social Welfare Deptt, Hamid Shah and Jehagir Toru checking the I.D cards of the displaced.

Tajrin distributed Rs 3000/- each among 50 families, on our behalf.

Bishop Peter showed us the historical monuments of Mardan.

and a beautiful church built in 1880's. Its foundation stone was laid by the wife of Governor of Punjab Mr. Aitcheson.

It has amazing stained glass windows.

Thanks to Bishop Peter, Major Asad and Jehangir Toru we were able to see this historical side of Mardan. It is impossible to see this beautiful old church without the permission of the Army as it is situated in the restricted Army Cantonment area. It is locked, the keys are with Bishop Peter it is indeed a pity that people cannot visit this place freely. We are extremely grateful to Shahida Bibi of Hoti Foundation who helped us in the orderly distribution of cash.

THANKS TO FOQIA SADIK KHAN, SHAHRUKH KHAN, TAHIRA ABULLAH'S FRIENDS AND FAMILY M. Bilal (London) & Mona Nana & HUMAIRA MASIHUDDIN and her friends and family Asma Siddiqui, Ayesha Mohd, Farzana Ansari, Bitto Baji WE WERE ABLE TO HELP THE DISPLACED CHRISTIAN AND HINDU FAMILIES, WHO ARE ONE OF THE MOST MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES OF PAKISTAN

Promoting Welfare of IDPs through media

2009-07-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

Discussing 'Return of the Internally Displaced Pakistanis', on Center Point with Farhan Bokhari Dawn Tv

Discussing the plight of the internally displaced Pakistanis on Center Point with Farhan Bokhari, Dawn Tv

Pakistanis shelter Swat displaced

By Barbara Plett BBC News, Surki Dheri and Islamabad

The homeless are being given water, electricity and a roof
Just over the mountains from Pakistan's north-western Swat valley lies Surki Dheri, a village of 10,000. Its deputy mayor, Sajjad Ali, is a landowner with a large estate. Tenant farmers work his fields of wheat, maize and tobacco. But this year he and his brother, Javed Iqbal, have become hosts to unexpected guests: 15 families of refugees - or 150 people - who have fled Pakistan's latest war against the Taliban in Swat and neighbouring districts.
"I was coming home one day and I saw these families, women and children, sitting beside the road," says Mr Iqbal. "I brought them here. They were in need."

The newly homeless Pakistanis get food from the UN, but Mr Iqbal and Mr Ali provide everything else - water, electricity, and a roof. Nor do they expect them to leave anytime soon. The brothers have begun building an extension to their guesthouse. The influx of displaced people has swelled the village population by a third. This is traditional Pashtun hospitality, which can never turn away "a guest".

Sajjad Ali says Pakistanis are responding to a sense of national crisis. Indeed, the vast majority of those displaced are living with kin or generous strangers. Such solidarity has strengthened the government's military campaign in Swat. It has also encouraged Washington, which wants to see the war taken to Taliban and al-Qaeda havens in the tribal areas near the Afghan border.
It is true that there has been broad public support for the Swat operation, including from opposition parties, the media, and even some religious leaders.

This is unique, because in the past fighting the Taliban was seen as fighting fellow Pakistanis at Washington's command. And America's Afghan war is unpopular, widely blamed here for radicalising the country's border areas.

But seasoned Pakistan observers caution against reading too much into a specific situation.
"I think there was an extraordinary confluence of circumstances which produced a coincidence of military resolve, political consensus and strong public opposition to the Taliban in Swat," says Maleeha Lodhi, a former ambassador to Washington. "Also because the United States was not really seen in that pronounced a way as calling the shots, that also helped the government pursue a very aggressive policy in Swat."

Public opinion has generally shifted against the Swat Taliban since they broke a peace deal earlier this year. "I think this happened because in the public perception the Taliban moved from a political actor to a criminal actor," says Aijaz Gilani, chairman of the polling agency Gallup Pakistan. "It was the very clear and vivid pictures of beheadings, floggings, and occupation of other peoples' property. So when there was a wide view that the Taliban were in breach of Islamic rules about the respect for property, life and honour, a majority turned against them."
Just outside Islamabad another group of refugees also receives support from concerned Pakistanis.

A builder, Syed Liaqat, has allowed 75 mostly women and children to move into his unfinished block of flats. Their needs are being met by a number of middle-class women from Islamabad.
One of them, a law teacher and civil society activist Ghazala Minallah, tells me how one baby was born during the five-day trek through the mountains. But when a woman died in childbirth, she and her baby were buried in the snow.

"I'm motivated by anger that this should be happening in our country, and a feeling for these people," she says. "It could be us in this position!" Fear that the Taliban could extend their rule outside Swat was another factor that united many Pakistanis behind military action.

Ms Minallah blames the army and government for allowing the militants to get strong, but admits that the timing of the operation made it more effective.
"Otherwise a large section of the population would have kept saying, what if the peace deal had worked? What if negotiations had worked?

Fauzia Minallah, an artist who has encouraged the children to draw and paint, says they need help to exorcise their fear of both the Taliban and of army shelling.
She tells me it is important that they are able to go home soon, and that the army defeats the Taliban - otherwise public support may waver.
"It can change if there's a failure of the operation," she says.
"Right now people are saying that there's only 4,000 Taliban, and 2.5 million displaced. So if the operation fails, the morale will go down.
"The support [for the army] will be there as long as we know that the operation will be successful."
But success in Swat would not necessarily mean public support for extending the campaign against the Taliban to the tribal areas, says Mr Gilani, especially if it were seen to be at the urging of the Americans. "While support for the government on the Taliban issue has increased, there is no corresponding increase for America's war against terror," he says. "The two are seen in the Pakistani public opinion quite separately, and one should not be misjudged for the other."

To watch the video click on the following link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8079496.stm

Generosity in a Time of Trauma

A Weaver's Welcome to Pakistan

By KATHY KELLY

Shortly after arriving in Pakistan, one week ago, we met a weaver and his extended family, numbering 76 in all, who had been forcibly displaced from their homes in Fathepur, a small village in the Swat Valley. Fighting between the Pakistani military and the Taliban had intensified. Terrified by aerial bombing and anxious to leave before a curfew would make flight impossible, the family packed all the belongings they could carry and fled on foot. It was a harrowing four day journey over snow-covered hills. Leaving their village, they faced a Taliban check point where a villager trying to leave had been assassinated that same morning. Fortunately, a Taliban guard let them pass. Walking many miles each day, with 45 children and 22 women, they supported one another as best they could. Men took turns carrying a frail grandmother on their shoulders. One woman gave birth to her baby, Hamza, on the road. When they arrived, exhausted, at a rest stop in the outskirts of Islamabad, they had no idea where to go next. While there, the weaver struck up a conversation with a man whom he’d never met before. He told the man about the family’s plight. Hearing that they were homeless, the man invited them to live with him and his family in a large building which he is renovating. He offered to put the reconstruction on hold so that the family could move into the upper stories of his building.

The weaver was also fortunate to have known, for many years, a family that had sold his art work through a small shop in Islamabad. Women in this family have been working, as volunteers, to assist refugees who’ve come to Islamabad. They and their companions have delivered one thousand “food kits,” plus cots, mats and cooking supplies, to desperately needy people. Two of the women, Fauzia and Ghazala, invited our small delegation to visit the weaver and his family, in Islamabad’s Bara Koh neighborhood.When we arrived, older men and boys were outside, ready to unload a truck delivering mats and flour. The generous building owner invited members of our group into his home, on the ground floor, where plans were already being made to turn the top floor into a school for the children. Several tots led me upstairs to meet their grandparents.

The elderly couple sat, cross-legged, on cots. When we entered, the grandmother stood, embraced me, and then softly wept for several minutes. Soon, about twenty men, women and children clustered around the cots. All listened attentively while one of the weaver’s brothers, Abdullah Shah, spoke with pride about the school in Fathepur where he had been a headmaster. The village had three schools, and his school was so successful that even Taliban families sent their children to study there. Now, the Taliban has destroyed all of the schools in Fathepur.He and his brothers wonder what their future will be. How and when can they return to their village? And how will they start over? The crops are ruined, livestock have died, and land mines have been laid. Most of the shops and businesses have been destroyed. Many homes are demolished.

The trauma endured by the refugees is overwhelming. Yet, numerous individuals and groups have swiftly extended hospitality and emergency aid. We visited a Sikh community, in Hassan Abdal, which has taken in hundreds of Sikhs, housing them inside a large and very famous shrine. Nearby, we stayed for several days in Tarbela, where families in very simple dwellings have welcomed their relatives. The townspeople quietly took up a collection to support the refugee families. Some of the townspeople accompanied us to Ghazi, just up the road from Tarbela, where 155 people are staying in an abandoned hospital, relying entirely on the generosity of their new neighbors. Doctors from Lahore invited two of us to go with them to villages near Mardan, where people from the Swat Valley are still arriving. The doctors were part of a project organized jointly through Rotary Lahore, Pakistan Medical Aid, and Jahandan, which has worked with area councils to convert schools into refugee centers. The doctors take turns, several times a week, delivering relief shipments and helping supervise distribution.

Generosity in the face of such massive displacement and suffering is evident everywhere we go. But Pakistan needs help on a much larger scale. The U.S. has pledged 100 million dollars toward relief efforts. Two other disclosures about money budgeted for Pakistan should be considered in light of the unbearable burdens borne by close to two million new refugees. First is the decision to spend 800 million dollars to renovate and expand the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and to upgrade security at U.S. consular offices elsewhere in the country. Secondly, the U.S. will spend 400 million dollars, in 2009, to teach counter-insurgency tactics to Pakistan’s military. The 2010 Defense Spending budget requests an additional 700 million for counter-insurgency training in Pakistan.

What would happen if U.S. officials put plans to expand the U.S. Embassy on hold? Suppose the U.S. were to declare that helping alleviate the misery of people forcibly displaced by Taliban violence and the recent military offensive is a top priority, one that trumps spending money on renovating and expanding the U.S. Embassy. Suppose that the U.S. were to redirect funds designated to train counterinsurgents and instead make these funds available to help alleviate impoverishment in Pakistan. No one seems to know how the Taliban are funded, but they clearly use large sums of money to build their ranks, giving each new recruit 25,000 rupees, a sum that exceeds what a teacher earns in one year. In villages where people don’t have enough resources to feed their children, the Taliban would initially move in with plans to build schools and offer two meals a day, plus clean clothes, to the children. Later, they would exercise increasingly fierce control over villages.

But their initial forays into villages were marked by offers to reduce the gaps between “haves and have-nots.”Enormous resources will be spent to “crush” the Taliban, and as always happens in warfare, the bloodshed will fuel acts of revenge and retaliation. The relationship that began when a stranger took the risk of offering shelter to a weaver holds a lesson worth heeding.The weaver and his family will never forget the extraordinary, immediate kindness extended to them when a man put his renovation project on hold so that he could help them find shelter in his building. The U.S. could help assure that every Pakistani family displaced by the fighting has enough to eat and the security of at least a temporary home. It would be an unusual but sensible homeland security initiative within Pakistan. And it would be a signpost pointing to greater security for the United States.

The maxim that guides this idea is simple: to counter terror, build justice. Build justice predicated on the belief that each person has basic human rights, and that we have a collective responsibility to share resources so that those rights are met. This means eliminating the unjust and unfair gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” It means weaving new relationships that don’t rely on guns and bombs for security.

Kathy Kelly is a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence and the author of Other Lands Have Dreams (published by CounterPunch/AK Press). Her email is kathy@vcnv.orgAlong with Dan Pearson, Steve Kelly, Gene Stoltzfus and Razia Ahmed, she is visiting cities and villages in Pakistan.

Visit to Gurdwara Sri Punja Sahib

2009-07-22T11:11:00.001-07:00

The silence of the road and the scorching heat was all that my mind could perceive on our journey to Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib. It was curiosity mixed with certain preconceived notions that had gotten me on my toes. I expected complaints; I feared that I would meet an angry community, paying the heavy price of living in a country that herself is paying the price for her geographical location, torn by dirty politics, a country where power, absolute power over people comes in many guises, be it in the form of manipulating in the name of God or in the name of democracy.

On the contrary, I met a people so hospitable and full of warmth that I felt more like a guest than a visitor who had actually gone there to help the Internally Displaced People. We were received by Dr Soran Singh, who was in charge of the affairs of the IDPs. What can be said about the significance of Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib except that it is to the Sikh community what Mecca is to the Muslims. The atmosphere inside was that of peace and friendliness. We were not Sikh or Muslim or Christian but just one people who shared the same dreams for the land we inhabit, for the land that is so dear to us, for which some are paying a heavier price than others.

The management of the IDPs was appreciable. I can criticize a lot of institutions here for not acting responsibly enough, but it is important to appreciate those who are working on their own, and realizing that even if we find all the institutions responsible for the plight of these homeless people, it will still not solve their problems. Some of the IDPs had started going back, while many still awaited news from their hometowns. Dr Singh’s speech epitomized all that was needed to be said and understood, that we are first of all united by the impregnable consciousness of the oneness of mankind, then comes nationality or religion.

by Tajrin Midhat

Tajrin is a student of Economics at the University College of Islamabad

It’s a rare moment when one is able to the cross boundaries of religion, class, and ethnicity within the confines of Pakistan’s xenophobic value-system. Yet, when we went to visit Sikh IDPs at the Gurdwara at Hasanabdal, we were able to do just that. The yellow and orange colored walls of the Gurdwara seemed to absorb the differences between “us” and “them” the moment we entered the Sikhs’ holy place; immediately we the visitors – among us Muslims, Christians, Atheists, Agnostics, and others- were embraced by the Sikhs IDPs at the Gurdwara. They asked us to speak to the IDP children and thanked us one-too-many times for the “generosity” we were showing in donating money to their IDP fund. Then they allowed us to perform our own pilgrimage of their Mecca, looking on with tolerance and contentment and we washed our feet in their holy water. It was ironic; in a place filled with “others” who had become displaced due violence caused by religious intolerance in their homeland, I discovered how many of us in Pakistan have become societal IDPs, displaced by the claustrophobic value system that has come to prevail around us.

by Shiza Shahid

Shiza is a student of International Relations at the Stanford University, USA

We donated Rs 150,000 in the IDP Fund for displaced Sikhs to help those who were returning to their homes.

" We really appreciat our friends' help and concern for us. Their last visit helped in giving us hope and by involving children in painting images of Sikh and Muslim harmony, they gave them a feeling that all religions teach humanity". Dr. Soran Singh.

Dr. Soran Singh presented us with Sarpaa which literally means head to toe, however it is the name of the yellow scarf called Sarpaa which is given to special guests as a wish that they have blessings from head to toe.

In a corner Nosheen got the children and adults involved in painting a mural.

All the young artists recieved a copy of 'Sadako's Prayer'

The 'not so young artists' also recieved a copy of the book.

Tajrin Midhat, Fauzia Minallah, Sarah Mehmood Akhtar, Shiza Shahid, Rekha Lakshmi Das, Myra Iqbal, Ghazala Minallah and Padma Kaur from Teera

THANKS TO AMNA PARACHA, FAMILY OF SURAYYA KHALID ( Late) AND ZONTA CLUB WE WERE ABLE TO DONATE TO SIKH IDP FUND AT GURDWARA PANJA SAHIB.

Photos by Fauzia Minallah and Nosheen Malik copyright Funkor Child Art Center.

Amai & Sadako's Gifts for Children

2009-07-17T03:12:00.000-07:00

Childern packing the gifts themselves.

Asian Network of Trust, Hiroshima donated Rs. 50,000. Funkor Childart Center bought ' Sadako and Amai Gifts for children'. Each gift pack consists of a drawing copy, 6 coloured pencils, 1 lead pencil with eraser, 1 sharpner, 1 packet of crisps, 1 plastic ball, 1 ballon, 1 game of ludo, 3 candies. In some packs we added one small carton of milk.

Gift pack were distributed in:

60 gifts were distributed in the Northern Diocese, Sarhadi Lutheran Church, Mardan

Artists recieved Sadako's Prayer

40 gifts were distributed in the PODA Resource Center, for the Internally Displaced, Rawalpindi.

500 gift packs in Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hasanabdal

The artists recieved the book 'Sadako's Prayer'

226 in Tarnol, Islamabad

160 in ITA's Gulaan School, Shah Mansoor Camp, in Swabi

40 in Satrameel, Islamabad

Portraits of Displaced Children

2009-07-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

Many things can wait;

the child cannot.

Now is the time his bones are being formed,

his mind is being developed.

To him we cannot say tomorrow;

his name is today.

- Gabriela Mistral

Photographs copyright Fauzia Minallah

Distribution of gifts for children in Tarnol

2009-07-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

We distributed 226 Amai and Sadako gift packs for children, in Dhok Russia in Tarnol, Islamabad. There were children from Dir, Swat, Mohmand and Bajaur agency even Afghan refugees.

When Children Have no toys....

2009-07-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

For three little sisters and their cousins, now living in Dhok Russia, Tarnol, Islamabad, it is not a big deal that they have no toys. Internally displaced from Dir, with bare neccessities, they occupy themselves by spending hours playing with their doll house. But, these houses are made by them, they have prepared the clay themselves and their nimble fingers have shaped the walls and shelves. Everything is recycled, tops of bottles are their plates and even peices of broken cutlery are placed in a row like plates on a shelf. They might not have many rooms in their own houses or fancy laterines but in their doll houses there are many laterines and rooms. It was the most fascinating thing I have ever seen in my life! If only these little girls could go to school.

Text and photos by Fauzia Minallah

Distribution of cash, clothes and soaps in Mardan

2009-07-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Madiha Syed and her family and friends in Karachi we distributed Rs. 3000 each among 100 families in different locations of Mardan, i.e, Mashki Killay, Gujjar Garhi, Gaz. We distributed 500 men and 500 women's clothes and soaps in the IDP camp at Tobacco Research Institute. The soaps were a contribution from Quatrina Hussain while the clothes were again Madiha's contribution. The transportation was a contribution of Amna Paracha.

Team: Ghazala Minallah, Falaknaz Asfandyar, Fauzia Minallah accompanied by young students Shiza Shahid, Myra and Tajreen Jafri.

Led by Pir Baba we visited internally displaced in Mashki Killey.

Children of Mashki village

Liaqat our guide writing the names and ID card numbers

A tent inside a house.

Without a fan children trying to go to sleep in 101 degrees F

Following Pir Baba at 2. p.m in 101 F in Mashki Killay

Visiting Internally Displaced in Gaz

A makeshift camp in Gujjar Garhi

Rows of trees provide the much needed shade and respite from the oppressive heat.

This is what people do when there are no cradles and shelves???

Internally displaced in an under construction house.

More displaced in another under construction house.

Camp in the Tobacco Research Institute where we distributed soaps and clothes.

Even at 6.p.m the heat was oppressive and unbearable. Imagine what the displaced must be going through? How do they cope with the heat?

Text and Photos by Fauzia Minallah

Aman-Tehreek (Pakistanis for Peace) helps CSI

2009-07-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

CSI greatly appreciates Aman Tehreek's support. Aman-Tehreek (Pakistanis for Peace) is a group of students (from Stanford, Harvard, Cornell), academics, professionals, and concerned individuals in the U.S. working to mobilize funds for the IDPs in Pakistan. This group is working with the Civil Society Group in Islamabad as well as the Global Peace Council in NWFP. The group personally keeps account of all funds, and sends donors regular feedback, pictures, and updates on where the money is spent; this personal-to-person accountability is how Aman Tehreek hopes to engage individuals who are far away from the crisis in Pakistan, and keep them involved.

website: “www.idp-relief.blogspot.com”

Art Activity Mural 'Swat is my Home'

2009-07-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to art critic from Karachi, Niilofur Farrukh we organised a cheerful art activity with children. Artists Seemi Ishaq and Ilona Yusuf were there as well as Kamil Hamid. Children painted a mural 'Swat is my home'. Children were asked to paint a picture of Swat. they wanted to paint the bombs and the shells. They were given A-4 size paper to draw whatever they remebered of Swat, but for the mural I asked them to paint all the beautiful things they remebered of Swat and how they would like to see it when they go back?

On the mural they painted mountains, trees, rivers, flowers all those beautiful things that made Swat a heaven on earth. But the sketches on paper are heart rending, glimpses of the horror these little children have seen in Swat.

Mural 'Swat zama watan dey - Swat is my Home'

text and photos by Fauzia Minallah

Thank you Madiha Syed's friends and family in Karachi

2009-07-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

Madiha Syed distributed cash among 20 families of the weaver from Swat in Satrameel, Islamabad. All thanks to her friends and family in Karachi who generously donated cash and kind. Some of the Internally Displaced were going back to Swat the others were moving to other locations in Islamabad and Peshawar as it had become difficult to stay on in the under construction building. Six families who were less privileged received Rs. 10,000 each and 14 families received Rs. 5000 each. Rs. 15000/- were paid from the donation given by Amna Paracha for the transportation back to Swat with 3000/- extra from Madiha.

Helping the Weaver's Family

2009-07-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

by Fauzia Minallah

At 11.30 at night I got a call from a weaver known to my mother- in - law Helga Ahmad. He belongs to Swat, when the conflict started we helped him get a shop in Islamabad after which he setteld in Islamabad. He informed me that after a week, he finally got a call from his family. They were somewhere in the mountains of Bisham, 23 women 46 children and 13 men, reached Bisham after a four days torturous journey by foot. On the way one woman gave birth to a baby boy in Miandum, who is called Miandum Khan. Her 17 year daughter had a days old baby with her. On the way they saw a woman from another family dying in childbirth who was buried in the snow by her family.
I told him that as soon as they reach the road they should take whatever transport possible and come down to Islamabad.This particular family was lucky a contractor basd in Satrameel Islamabad, allowed them to stay in his under construction plaza. We helped them with providing family packs and some cash. Helga Ahmad with the support of Shahnaz Ahmad started an informal school for the children and provided sewing machines to women. Mr. Amir Usman donated school bags and stationery. Dr. Saqib Abbassi visited them personally and donated medicines while a team from Benazir hospital examined them. Our Austrian friend with a heart of gold Waltraud Torrosian and her friends from ZONTA club have donated generously to support this family. Compared to many from their area they are lucky but they have been through hell and it will take a long time for them to recover from the trauma of leaving behind their homes.

Uncle and nephew. The nephew is 40 days older than the uncle. While the uncle was born during the exodus, his nephew was barely a fwe days old.

Miandum Khan was born during the exodus, in Miandum.

Tired and exhausted after 5 days journey.

Tomorrow is too late

2009-07-06T03:58:00.000-07:00

Text and photos by Ghazala Minallah

On October 8th 2005 the Pakistani nation rose to the occasion and proved their worth. We all stood as one and tried to ease the pain and suffering of the survivors of that awful calamity. Why is that spirit missing today? Why isn’t every single one of us doing our bit in this hour of desperate need?Why don’t we realize that these poor innocent souls are paying the price for the policies of our successive governments ? They did not leave their homes out of choice; nor did they invite those inhuman scoundrels to shatter the peace of their beautiful valleys; nor did they ever expect that they would be forced to leave their homes in such a hurry that other than the clothes on their backs they would have nothing.
But, my friends , lets forget for the moment why things were allowed to get to this stage in the first place. Lets try to forget for the moment that its always the innocent and helpless who bear the brunt of the blunders of our successive governments. Lets just deal with the present for now , because if we fail them now we are doomed for ever. The IDPs are in a terrible condition, both physically and mentally. The trauma of leaving home at a moment’s notice , leaving their live-stock with no one to care for them, leaving fields full of crops ready to be harvested. Then the agonising journey to safer areas only to find themselves in a seemingly endless dilemma.
A few civil society members, including myself, visited Mardan and Takhtbhai a few days ago. It was an extremely emotional and moving experience, and even though I already felt for these people from the heart , going there , speaking to them and witnessing the problems they are facing with our own eyes was something totally different. We need to understand one thing clearly and that is that the number of refugees inside proper camps is a very small percentage of the entire numbers. Jalala camp near Mardan is the first camp the people fleeing from the war zone arrive at. Jalala has a capacity of 10,000 persons and stopped taking any more IDPs a while ago. The total number of formal camps in the N.W.F.P is 8, all of them having approximately the same capacity. The govt figures as to the umber of displaced persons so far is over 1500,000. So you don’t have to be a genius at maths to work out that there’s A LOT of people out there who are NOT in the camps. These IDP’s are in schools, people’s houses, in empty plots, in under construction buildings, on the roadside, the riverside ,everywhere.Since the donor agencies , such as the UNHCR , only caters for proper camps , and the govt still needs to get its act together, these IDPs are getting nothing from the official sources. This is where all of you out there come in , because they are totally dependent on the generosity of the ordinary public.There is no doubt that a lot of people are doing a lot , but its not enough .The need is huge, endless and beyond anyone’s imagination. I would advise everyone who has the means to go and see for themselves, for seeing is believing.
We walked around Jalala camp, and though apparently it is quite organized and certain basic facilities are available, the problem for those in the tents is the unbearable heat. Without any exaggeration , we could not stand for more than 20 seconds inside a tent. It was absolutely suffocating. Women and young children are the hardest hit since because of ‘purdah’ the tent flaps remain closed , trapping the heat and preventing any fresh air from entering at all. Children were red in the face and many of them were developing rashes and other skin problems. Some were asleep with exhaustion , others were crying and the helpless mothers had no way of comforting them. Diarrhoea, dysentery, chest infections , cholera, heat stroke and other diseases are on the increase. The day that we visited Jalala , we were informed later that three women had died from heat related causes. There must be casualties in other camps too , and this is only the beginning.Unless timely action is taken there is going to be a tremendous loss of life, which could unleash an anger which no govt will be able to control.We then visited the IDPs outside the camps. They were better off as far as exposure to heat is concerned, since most of them were in schools, which meant a roof over their heads and electricity. Their problem was that since they were not registered , they were basically non-entities and were getting NOTHING AT ALL! These are the people who need you NOW! These people from the most beautiful and once peaceful part of our beloved country need every possible help you can think of. The stories they have to tell are horrifying to say the least. One incident is about a woman who was told she had to leave immediately , and she ran and picked up her baby and fled. At some point in the journey she opened the bundle she had picked up and it was only a pillow. I saw a little boy on the news yesterday who was looking for his parents. There are parents who have lost children in the chaos while fleeing. Others have been kidnapped by the Taliban and are being used as human shields. There are still a large number of people trapped in the war zone. They cannot escape because the terrorists have blocked the roads and also because of the curfew. Many do not have any transport, and though many escaped on foot , there are many who were not so lucky. Those trapped are running out of food , as well as patience and faith in this govt. and the army. Compared to the challenges we face as a nation , you might feel you are not able to make a difference. I beg you not to think that way. Everyone and anyone can make a difference if they decide to do so. There’s no time to waste because these people have no time. Lets reach out and hold the hands of the thousands of displaced children or be responsible for nurturing another generation of Taliban.

Art Activity in Gulaan school, Shah Mansoor Camp, Swabi

2009-07-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

by Joyce David & Baela R Jamil

Fauzia Minallah from Funkor Childart and her volunteers were absolutely phenomenal as they helped today in Mural Making with the IDPs at the Gulaan Elementary School ITA requested Fauzia when she shared the work she had undertaken at Hassan Abdal with the minority IDPs in Panjah Sahib. She immediately responded and agreed to help us in our early days of work at Shah Mansoor Camp. She came wiht her volunteers including two students "Saleha and Iman" and beautifully worked with the children.. helping them touch their innermost core where there are colours, beauty and images of harmony.. Three cloth murals were produced and hung, instantly beautifying the bare walls of the healing and learning centre. They later distributed goody bags with stationary and ludo/balls etc. This was deeply appreciated. Inam ITA's resident artist and craftsman was there to facilitate the activty. He has been working with the children and teachers since Tuesday. More photos can be seen by Friday afternoon June 19th at http://www.itacec.org/ ( descent into chaos) Rooh Afza and biscuits were also provided to beat the heat and hunger pangs.. ! Our sincere gratitude to Fauzia and her group for being there for us and for IDPs! What a joy...what immense giving ! Joyce DavidBaela R Jamil

Gulaan School

A young girl from Swat- De Swat mashooma

2009-07-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

A young girl from Swat
by Rahila Arif

De Swat Mashooma
Zama kho khanda razey we rora
Ta waroonah tol band kurral!
Zama kho lobey razey o rora
Ta khirkaey, hawaganey band kurral!
Mor o khaindey tan a haere de,
Ta kho tamachay malgaraan kurral!
Sheenkay na akhkaree, na haw khabar kolay shee
Zamaa befikray juand ta pa fikroona kuraal!
Wakhaa, guloonan, titliaanay maan yaadegee
Ta jawanday minga kor key khakht kuraal!
Aday zamaa tagay da, ubah kor ke nishta
Ubah beh souk raurrey, mor khaur kor ke band kurral
Loay rour, ta kho zumung maan way
Satargay ao meena ta hawalay zalimaano kurral
Malgaray ma na paatay shwey, tera shwa
Rour um akhpala meenay, stargay band kurral
Zama kho niazbeen juwand khob ke o
Wareekay jwand zamaa, taa ugaad ko

Translated by Anita Shah: (A young girl from Swat)
O brother, these were my days of laughter
Till you barred all the doors for me!
These were to be my days of frolick
But you shut the windows, the fresh air!
You have forgotten your mother and sisters
You have befriended guns
I cannot see the greenery or hear the calling rain bird
My life has its worries because of you
I miss the grass, flowers and butterflies
I was alive when buried by you, my brother
Mother is so thirsty: there is no water at home
Who will bring the water when the women are imprisoned
My brothers walk the pathways, guns in hand,
Big brother, you were our pride and joy
But you gave away my eyes and love to the heartless
My friends have been left behind, it is all past me
Even my brothers have closed their hearts
I had been a pampered child in some dream, it seems
My young life has been made so very old, by you.

(This poem has been written by Mrs. Rahila Arif, who has dedicated it to the young children of a beautiful area where the grass was always green and life was beautiful, just a little while ago. She hopes and prays that these children get their home, and their lives and dreams, back).

Distribution of Family Packs in Mardan

2009-07-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

485 Family Packs were distributed in Mardan: 350 Family packs were distributed in Labour Colony Mardan. 135 Family packs were distributed in different schools they were Govt Primary School, Bagh Kal, Govt Primary School, Pump Kal, Govt Middle School, Saidabad,Govt Middle School, Kopar, Ali Sattar : Donated 40 Family Packs A, Madiha Syed prepared 100 Family Packs B( Details of each pack are given below): these were gifts from friends in KARACHI:

Truck leaving from the whole sale market

Truck leaving from Naila Zahid's house

There was a moment of panic when we were told that the terrorists are in the crowd during distribution in Labour colony. Thank god it turned out to be a widow in a black burqa.

Madiha Syed and the guards who were there to protect us.

It is sad but security is the main concern of all those who are working with the internally displaced.Guarding his family pack!!

Ghazala Minallah & Maha Qazi distributing coloured pencils and colouring books

Fauzia Minallah with children

THANKYOU AMINA OMAR, YOUR GIFTS OF COLOURING BOOKS AND PENCILS WERE REALLY APPRECIATED

Coloured pencils and colouring books with lots of smiles

................... But some are hard nuts to crack
Shirin Bibi finished colouring a page
Cutie pie loved the toy we distributed

another hard nut to crack.......
Naseem with her books and a pot to fetch water
Sadia holding the books while Naseem balances the pot with water on her head
Maybe she will find time to do some colouring after fetching water !

Maybe she will go to school someday. Maybe her security and well being is the RESPONSIBILTY of her government. Maybe she will grow up in a world where she is not a tiny pawn in bigger games.

Text and Photos by Fauzia Minallah

FAMILY PACK A: Bucket 20 litre I cooking pot Dechki silver1 big spoon2 big plastic plates 1 tawwa stainless steel with wood handel2 glasses plastic6 Coil packet OF mosquito repellent Ata Flour 10 kg3 Daals laal lobia, dal channa, daal moong, 2 kg eachSugar 4 kgRice 4 kgCurry powder 2 packetsSalt 1 kgGhee 2 kgTea 1 kgFull cream milk powder 1 kgBuiscuits 12 packs 2 Lifebuoy soaps2 detergent soaps45 candy packets
Each family pak: Rs 3500THE WHOLE SALE DEALER ADDS A BOTTLE OF Jam i shireen

Madiha Syed prepared 100 Family Packs ( packed all by herself and her friends and family): FAMILY PACK B Bucket 20 litre I cooking pot Dechki silver meduim size1 big wooden spoon6 metal plates 1 tashla stainless steel l6 glasses plastic2 Coil packet of mosquito repellent Ata Flour 10 kg2 daal channa, daal moong, 2 kg eachSugar 2 kgBhunna Channa 2 kgCurry powder 250 gmsSalt 1 kgGhee 2 kgTea 1 kgDrymilk powder 1 kg1 large pack of Tiger Buiscuits 6 bars of Swati soaps4 slabs of detergent soaps3 pairs of plastic chuppalsCandiesBesides this Madiha Syed has 100 guddas ( mattresses) 100 buckets and 100 bags of Atta 10 kg each. Everything was packed by her at home and each family Pack including, Gudda, bucket and Atta= Rs 3040

Gifts for Internally Displaced Sikh Children in Gurdwara Panja Sahib

2009-07-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tomoko Watanabe, we distributed 500 gifts among Sikh children who have been displaced by the on going conflict in Swat. They have been living in Swat and Buner and all speak Pashto. Each gift consisted of one game of Ludo, one pencil, eraser and sharpner, a box of 6 coloured pencils one drawing copy, one baloon, one ball, one packet of crisps and one packet of biscuits. Zaibunnissa and Iram Bilal distribted candies among children.

The artists recieved 'Sadako's Prayer' a book for children written and illustrated by Fauzia Minallah

Falaknaz, Naila and Dr Soran Singh distributing gifts.

Fatima, Saleha and Fakhrunnissa recieved 'bindis' and gifts.

Naila Zahid, Falaknaz, Fauzia Minallah, Fakhri, Iram Bilal, Khadija, Mrs Bilal, Maham, Saleha, Fatima and Zaibunnissa with Dr. Soran Singh.

Tajima Shinji held an Origami workshop with the Internally Displaced in Satrameel

2009-07-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

Tajima Shinji is a well known children's writer from Japan. He worked as advisor of the Literacy Commission in 2000 and has worked for several years for UNESCO. While visiting Islamabad he held an Origami workshop with the Internally Displaced children in Satrameel. Children had a wonderful time thanks to Mr. Tajima.

Our Donors

2009-07-05T04:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our following friends we were able to help the Internally Diplaced:

Farhan Bokhari , Rahila Arif, Nazeeha Baqai, Tahira Abdullah and her friends and family (Sorayya Khalid, Nahid Aziz, M. Bilal (London), Mona Nana), Humaira Masihuddin and her friends and family (Asma Siddiqui, Ayesha Mohd, Farzana Ansari, Bitto Baji) Amna Paracha, Quatrina Hussain, Sara Mahmud Akhtar, Ilona Yusuf, Mobi and Shirin Haq, Rabya Hyat Khan, Afshan Toru, Naela Amir, Aban Haq , Ghazala Amin,Salman Ahmad, Wajih-uz-Zaman, Amina Saleem , Sher Shah , Munizey Paracha, Amir Ahmad, Shahana Azim Abida Burki, Sofia Aftab , Hasina Saifullah ,Kulsoom Saifullah ,Tahir kitchlew ,Mohd Ali Habib ,Ali and Sofia Khan , Mrs. Nusrat ,Turan Afridi , Humaira Masihuddin , Sarwat Malik , Asma Rashid Khan, Amina Omer , Maham Ali, Asad Khan , Mrs Arshad Mahmud , Fayaz Ahmed , Romano Karim Yusuf, Nadir Sadiq, Abdullah sadik, Retd General Asad Durrani, Saira Hoti, Zeeshan and Shayan Afzal Khan, Rabia Ahmad Jan, Ali Sattar, Zarina Khan, Ali Khan, Ali Afridi, Mustaneez Raza ,Nigarain ,Taliha Burkhi , Abida Burkhi, Sheila, Retd General Saeed Qadir, Waji –uz-Zaman Khan ,Begum Fauzia Fakhar-uz-zaman , Shazma Faisal Khan, Mehnaz ul-mulk, Amir Ahmad, Shehla Jamshaid, Farah Karam Ilahi, Shahana Azim, Alamgir, Maham Ali ,Shazia Faisal, Haroon Mian, Akhtar Khalid Waheed, Asad and Amna Shah(London), Zahid Saeed, Farzana and Javed Masud, Roeda Arbab ,Foqia Sadiq Khan, MahamAli, Humaira Humayun , Mrs Abdul Qayyum, Dr. Yasmeen Mahmooda, Nusrat (ICAS), Nuns and Teachers of Murree Convent.
Saboohi Pervaiz and Headstart Teachers, Yasmeen Durrani, Fatima Hussain, Anila Rafaqat, Lubna Malik , Mrs Ahsan,, Farzana Ali. Kishwar BibiUmaima ( Humera Masihuddin's friend)Amjad Ali Khan ( Tahira Abdullah's family)M.Bilal " """Madiha Syed's Friends and Family from KarachiZaheer DasuMr & Mrs Goeschl from the province of Styria and Lantin family from Vienna ( friends of Waltraud Torossian)

YOUNG PEOPLE/ CHILDREN WHO CONTRIBUTED: Maham Ali, Kamil Rextin, Kamil Hamid, Iman Hazir, Saleha Zahid , Fatima Quadri, Khadija Asfandyar, Zain Haq, Mehernaz Haq and Sherbano Haq

THROUGH THE FUNKOR CHILDART CENTER WE RECIEVED CONTRIBUTIONS FROM:
Waltraud Torrosian
ZONTA ladies Club in Linz
Tomoko Watanabe from Asian Network of Trust Hroshima
Andy Yu
Foton Bus Service

MATERIAL for ART ACTIVITIES:
Niilofur Farrukh
Sabah Hussain

Art Activity 'Mural on Sikh Muslim Harmony'

2009-07-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

Art Activity "Sikh - Muslim Harmony", in Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib, Hasanabdal

In early 2009, Sikhs were forced to flee Swat and Buner as the Taliban imposed a tax on non-Muslims. They are internally displaced now and nearly 500 sikh families have taken refuge in the historical Gurdwara Panja Sahib. Funkor Childart Center and Civil Society Islamabad, organised an art activity of painting a mural on Sikh-Muslim Harmony with the children. Half of the mural was painted in Islamabad by Muslim children and the other half was painted in the historical Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal.

Children who painted half the mural in Islamabad were:

Zehra........................................Haider

Khadija...................................... Abdur Rehman

Nigaar........................................Fakhrunnissa

Hamza.......................................Maryam

Painting the Mural in Islamabad

Packing gifts for Sikh children

Gurdwara Punja Sahib, Hasanabdal

Meeting old friends from Mingora and distributing gifts.

Finishing the mural in Gurdwara Punja Sahib

Children who finished the mural in Gurdwara Punja Sahib

were:

Beeraj ........................................Muskan

Sakshi..........................................Himanshi

Janvi...........................................Suraksha

Padmini......................................Sunaina

Ajit

Ahmad Faraz packing up