UNICEF’s Naveen Qayyum reports from Pakistan.
Five months after the floods, the onset of winter has brought new challenges to displaced people still living in temporary camps, as well as those returning home. In Layyah, a district in Southern Punjab, the temperature drops down to 2 °C with thick fog setting in. Many homes in neighbouring villages have no electricity or cooking gas available; they mostly rely on wood fires to warm their houses. Such conditions affect people acutely, with children most vulnerable to cold-related illnesses like malaria, pneumonia and acute respiratory infections.
Basti Jakhar is one such village. With a population of around 1,250, it borders the river Sindh, and was severely hit by the floods, which swept away crops, houses and livestock. After five months, the water has receded a bit and many displaced villagers have returned home, but now comes the crucial task of survival and rebuilding in the ever-decreasing temperatures.
Rozmah wearing her new clothes.
© UNICEF/Pakistan/2010
Amidst these challenges, children from Basti Jakhar have received winterisation kits from a UNICEF program, managed by a local NGO Lodhran Pilot Project (LPP) in collaboration with the Punjab Government’s social welfare department. The winterisation kits include items like woollen sweaters, socks, shoes and blankets for each child, given to their families. Eight-year-old Rozmah has just received her kit. She tries on her sweater and shoes, which fit her perfectly.
“I love my blue sweater. And I like my shoes too. I had plastic shoes before,” says Rozmah, showing off her new possessions. “When we returned home I could not go outside to play because of the cold. My mother also stopped sending me to school, as she thought I would fall sick like other children. It is chilly in our home and we had no warm clothes. My mother made a red sweater for me last year, but we lost it among other things in the floods,” says Rozmah.
Rozmah is one of six siblings who come to UNICEF’s child-friendly space (CFS), set up in a high school building in Basti Jakhar. CFS is a UNICEF initiative providing education, recreation and psychosocial support to children from families displaced by the floods. In this village CFS was also used to distribute winterisation kits to children, with support from the local Child Protection Committee. “The Committee consists of representatives from the village including teachers, activists, elderly people and community members. They help us identify orphans, children who are homeless, sick and physically disable in some cases,” said Ishrat Khursheed, Field Coordinator at Lodhran Pilot Project.
12-year-old Rizwan, who has a physical disability, is also the recipient of a UNICEF winter kit. He comes to UNICEF’s CFS, where he receives his warm clothes along with other children. “I am happy I have new warm clothes and shoes now. I can now come to CFS and will not catch cold. I wish more children could come and get the buckets we received,” says Rizwan.
“This is the first distribution in winter season. We hope to distribute more goods to children in the coming weeks. This is crucial to provide children with warm clothes, as cases of pneumonia, respiratory infections and cold-related illnesses can increase,” says Javed Iqbal, UNICEF’s Child Protection Office. “UNICEF has been able to benefit around 249,252 women and children around Pakistan, and the initiative needs to continue. Southern Punjab is a significant area to focus our efforts, as the weather here can get very dry and cold,” he added.
In Punjab alone UNICEF has distributed 20,000 warm sweaters, 18,504 blankets and 12,300 shoes via its implementing partners. Yet given the gigantic scale of the disaster, there is still a need to continue efforts to protect children vulnerable to the frosty temperatures. With household goods having been washed away by the floods, basic items such as clothes are essential to their survival.
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The author
Naveen Qayyum is Senior Communications Assistant for UNICEF in Pakistan.
Edited by Jess Wright, Web Editor at UNICEF UK.