HOTLINE - week of June 26, 2006

"A lot of recovery work still needs to be done-- recovery that will be going on for years to come," says Connie Cheung, CWS recovery coordinator in Pakistan, during a recent U.S./Canada visit.

"It's important to continue to support the recovery – and keep the survivors and the staff in your thoughts and prayers," adds Shama Mall, associate director of the CWS Pakistan program. Mall and Cheung have been key to coordinating CWS recovery efforts in the aftermath of the October 8 earthquake that devastated parts of Pakistan and Kashmir.

"One of the most important aspects of our work in earthquake recovery," says Mall, "is providing psychosocial care for people traumatized by the disaster--some of whom have lost family members, their homes, and livelihoods."

Of particular concern are women, who, by tradition, do not normally interact with people outside of their immediate families or communities. CWS psychosocial team members, made up of mostly women, are working to help women address the emotional scars caused by the disaster, and are also assisting in the set-up of income-generating activities.

CWS takes a wholistic approach to recovery and is working to equip survivors with the skills needed to rebuild following the disaster. Some 180 people have graduated so far from CWS-supported trade center workshops, learning such trades as carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrical work, and welding.

"Trades people are in great demand," says Cheung, "because so many of them were lost in the quake." She goes on to note that people trained in the CWS workshops are going on to train other members of their communities, and becoming an integral part of rebuilding efforts.

As returning survivors begin to reestablish themselves in their home villages, CWS is assisting families and communities in the restoration of livestock, water, and sanitation. In remote, mountainous Pakistan, most families rely on livestock for their livelihood. CWS will be providing livestock for the most vulnerable families.

CWS also continues to provide primary healthcare, as well as rehabilitative health care to those affected by the quake.

Following the quake, CWS immediately began providing emergency assistance to earthquake survivors--tents, blankets, food, medical care, water and sanitation, and warm clothing--and took responsibility for one of the tent villages, while also providing supplies to other camps.

Related stories and photos.

Some 2,500 people in rural villages in Phongsaly and Oudomxay provinces, in northern Laos, are benefiting from a CWS-supported project to construct three new water systems. CWS is helping by providing cement, iron bars, and PVC pipe, and working with the villagers to construct the water systems. The villagers, including students and teachers in two schools, are gaining access to clean water, complementing CWS educational projects in rural areas of northern Laos.

Clean water helps to improve health and quality of life in the villages. By participating in the project, villagers are not only gaining a source of clean water for their communities, they are also acquiring skills in water system construction, maintenance, trouble-shooting, and repair--skills they can use to help nearby villages construct their own clean water systems.

Your prayers and support - and your participation in CROP WALKS and the TOOLS & BLANKETS Program - make possible these and other life sustaining programs. For information on how to get involved, please call your Church World Service/CROP Regional Office toll-free at 1-888-CWS-CROP, that's 1-888-297-2767.

For information about free loan videos, please call 1-800-297-1516, ext. 338, or e-mail us at: videos@churchworldservice.org.

Back to top