UNICEF’s Naveen Qayyum reports from Bhelo, Pakistan, six months after the floods that affected over 20 million people in the country.
Liaqat with children at a child-friendly bus point in Bhelo.
© UNICEF/Pakistan/2010/Qayyum
A group of hopeful young people has contributed to the rehabilitation efforts in Pakistan, taking to the streets and working with local and international organisations to raise funds and improve the plight of flood victims.
A small village called Bhelo in Thatha, Sindh province, plays witness to this spirit. Set up by UNICEF in collaboration with a local NGO Foresight, a child-friendly space mobile service managed by young facilitators brings a colourful bus to this remote area. The facilitators provide education, recreation and psychosocial support to children, mostly from families displaced by the floods.
Working for a better future
“I feel a great responsibility towards those who have lost everything in the floods. My village was saved luckily. However we had to help people from surrounding villages,” says Liaqat Ali Qureshi, a 22-year-old resident of Sehun Sharif who has been working as a UNICEF facilitator for two months. “Children become more vulnerable in situations like these. We counsel them to bring them out of trauma. We organise story telling sessions, games, singing, and other fun activities that help stabilise these children emotionally.”
“There is a personal motivation behind what I do. I am a graduate and I believe these children deserve a better chance for education too. Even if our project is of a temporary nature, we have managed to reach many communities,” says Liaqat. “In the beginning it took time to build trust. The community meetings helped create a dialogue. Now parents value what we say. We persuade them to send their children to schools. We raise awareness about issues like physical abuse and child marriages,” he added.
Quratul Ain with children inside the child-friendly mobile bus.
© UNICEF/Pakistan/2010/Qayyum
Improvements in the children inspire fellow UNICEF facilitator, 23-year-old Quratul Ain Qureshi. “We had a 10-year-old girl named Nasreen. She was a child with special needs. She could not forget how she had to escape the floods with her parents. She looked scared when she arrived. It took us a lot of time, patience and counselling to bring her back to normality. After a month she is much better. Now she studies and plays with other children. I feel moved by the betterment in her behaviour. It shows we have a great responsibility.”
Small steps, bigger impact
Talking about young people’s role in the rehabilitation of flood victims, Liaqat says: “As young people sometimes we get frustrated that we cannot change anything. However, now with my experience I feel small steps can create a bigger impact. I and other young facilitators might be educating some Pakistani children, and not all. Yet by influencing some minds, we influence a future which belongs to all of us”.
A mobile child-friendly bus reaching out to communities in Sindh
© UNICEF/Pakistan/2010/Qayyum
UNICEF has been able to reach around 37,048 children through child-friendly spaces in Sindh alone, yet the young facilitators believe there is more to be done. Quratul Ain shares her concerns, saying: “We know there are many children who have an uncertain future with no school when they return home. Children also get held back to help their families rebuild houses. I hope what children have learnt at child-friendly spaces can continue when they return. Young people should be more involved in projects like these. With our motivation, together we can accomplish a lot as partners, when it comes to making a difference to the lives of children we serve.”
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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.