Case Study 15: Responsibility at a Young Age
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Name: Gulmeena
Place: Chattar Plain
Among the many faces sitting in rows, waiting for their share of relief, there was this little girl; worried, upset with no hope in her eyes. One of the female Church World Service distribution team members walked up to her and asked, “Are you all alone?” The girl all troubled and disturbed, managed to reply, “I’m all alone and I want some relief goods.” She held high a coupon, which was given to her during the CWS assessment visits the previous day.
CWS distribution teams have been conducting door to door visits and distributing food and shelter coupons, and explaining to people that with these coupons they would receive the mentioned packages at a common distribution point. So on the said day all the people with coupons gather for their share.
Gulmeena, who seemed no more than 12 years of age, looked perplexed at being where she was. She stayed close to the female CWS distribution team members and later shared her story: She has two younger sisters and no brothers. Her parents are no longer alive. Her father died some five years ago, and she, along with her sisters and mother, had shifted to her maternal grandparents' house. Gulmeena related that her mother had serious problems with her leg and could not walk any longer. When the devastating earthquake struck, everyone ran from the house towards the open space, except her mother. She recalled that it was just a matter of seconds in which everything was destroyed. When she looked back at their house, only rubble was left. She remembered thinking, “No that isn’t only rubble. That is my mother’s grave”.
Gulmeena’s grandfather is the only male member in the house and he is too old to be able to take care of them. The only means of livelihood for their family was a buffalo and some sheep, whose milk they used to sell in the market. She said that the earthquake took everything from them. Now they have no roof to seek shelter under, and no livestock to earn a living from. Crying, she said that the buffalo was also killed.
She was very thankful to CWS distribution teams, who came to their make-shift house and issued them a shelter and food coupon. Gulmeena said that now she is the only one in the family who has the responsibility to make arrangements for food. It isn’t possible for her to go to far off places in search of food and shelter, and that was shy she was so grateful to the CWS distribution teams. Now she could take back with her a whole month's ration and shelter kits with blankets.
Church World Service is working to provide shelter kits (family-sized
tent, ground sheet, plastic sheet, two iron poles, and four blankets),
as well as family food packages, to 20,000 of the worst-affected families.
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