Current Situation
·
The death toll in
South Asia has risen to over 73,000, with 79,000 people wounded. A second wave
of death from disease and exposure could kill thousands more unless more help
arrives soon.
·
More than 3 million
people have been made homeless by the disaster in Pakistan and India, the two
countries most devastated. In many cases, entire villages have been levelled.
·
According to the federal
government of Pakistan, the earthquake’s impact area was 30,000 square
kilometres, destroying or rendering uninhabitable the majority of homes in the
region.
·
Up to 30 percent of
earthquake-affected areas are inaccessible due to the mountainous terrain and
coming winter weather, which could translate into at least 200,000 people
without relief assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Added to the logistical difficulties is the
location of the earthquake with its epicentre in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
As the Kashmir region is disputed between Pakistan and India, both sides of the
border have built up a large military presence and have limited humanitarian
agencies’ access along some parts of the Line of Control.
·
The opening up of the
Line of Control – to movements of aid packages, not people – has had symbolic
value but has impacted on security in the region.
Areas for concern
·
The international
community must deliver on commitments of aid to ensure enough relief can reach
affected communities before winter.
·
In Pakistan,
large gaps in shelter distribution activities have been identified on the
ground in Neelum Valley.
·
There are increasing
numbers of people moving from the more remote villages to camps in the main
towns in Pakistan. Proposals for the closure of camps in Muzzafarabad and the
relocation of vulnerable families remain a grave concern. Forced relocation to
villages or care centres in Islamabad and Peshawar may take place if
compensation offers are not accepted.
·
While the situation in India is not as desperate as in
Pakistan, there is still a critical emergency, for hundreds of thousands of
people who have lost their homes. These people should not be neglected. We are
also concerned about the possibility of migration of families on the India side
without safeguards for children, and the prospect of increasing numbers of
drop-outs with a corresponding impact on child labour.
·
In India, some
agencies have reported the military restricting access more than before,
although Save the Children has continued to have good access to the villages we
have identified as most vulnerable.
Save the Children UK’s Response in Pakistan
·
Save the Children UK
has provided over 1,300 families with relief items including tents, shelter,
blankets, kitchen sets, stoves and children’s clothing in Bagh and Muzzafarabad
districts with current plans to reach up to 15,000 families.
·
7 safe play areas
have been set up in camps in Muzzafarabad town with plans to expand to 25 play
areas depending on needs, with a similar number likely in Bagh district.
·
School clearance and
construction projects are underway in both districts providing communities with
the tools and training to rehabilitate village schools. The first school is nearing
completion in Dhena Maghalam village, Muzzafarabad.
Distribution/Relief
Distributions
of tents, blankets and stoves have reached nearly 1,300 families in Bagh, with
plans to reach up to 7,500 families in the district. 10 shelter kits have been
provided to two villages in Langapura Union Council to identify the most
appropriate tools and materials and to explore approaches to community
participation. Further distributions for up to 2,500 families in Muzzafarabad tehsil will take place, possibly in collaboration
with a local NGO. Distributions in Panjkot Union Council have commenced with an
initial distribution to 204 families. Current assessments have identified
nearly 2,000 families in need of relief in four wards (18 villages).
Child Protection
Save the
Children UK has to date set up 7 safe play areas in camps in and around
Muzzafarabad. Five further sites have been identified in the area. Plans are to
expand the number of safe play areas to 25 following ongoing assessments. In
Bagh, assessments continue for possible safe play areas in camps and villages
and will likely lead to the setting up of another 25 safe play areas there. The
team in Bagh has distributed 100 bags for children containing pencils, pens, a
notepad, sweets and biscuits. and 30 hygiene kits to a neglected camp near
Ajara and 1,200 sets of children’s clothing through ARC to Ratnoy village.
Education
A school
clearing and construction kit has been provided in Dhena Maghalam village where
construction of a new temporary school is almost complete. This pilot project
was used to identify the most appropriate tools and materials and to explore
approaches to community participation. Villages in Chera Pura and Muzzafarabad
Union Councils are being identified for up to 50 school clearance and
construction projects. Similar assessments are also underway in Bagh where they
hope to support up to 100 schools. A partnership with a local NGO is being
discussed to link teachers and capacity building of education with the
clearance and construction programme.
Save the Children UK’s Response in India
Save the Children is operational in the
three most affected districts in Jammu and Kashmir state, including Baramulla
and Kupwara districts (Kashmir) and in Jammu, Poonch district. We have
distributed relief items including family tents, blankets, tarpaulin, warm
traditional clothing and warming pots to over 3,500 families. Our family kits
include child-focused materials, including clothing for children. Save the
Children’s ongoing response will focus on education, early childhood
development and child protection however, teams in the field will continue to
monitor the condition of children, families and communities and will coordinate
with government and other agencies providing health care services.
Distribution/Relief
The
distribution of relief continues and more vehicles are moving materials to
distribution points every day. Capacity on the ground is allowing teams to
deliver to several villages in different regions each day. We have completed
procurement of essential family kits for approximately 11,000 families
(approximately 77,000 people) in villages devastated by the earthquake where
adequate relief has not been provided. We have completed our assessments and
community organising to ensure a smooth delivery process that respects the
dignity of the people we are aiming to reach and to date have completed
distribution to one third of the targeted 11,000 families. With materials
already positioned, transportation arranged and communities ready to receive,
the remaining aid deliveries are progressing smoothly and rapidly.
Distributions
are also supporting interventions in emergency education with basic education
items to facilitate the reopening of schools.
Education
Save
the Children has decided to concentrate on emergency education in the immediate
term. During our initial assessment, School Education Committees in each
village, which were not functional, were reconstituted. A brief orientation
with committee members has helped them to understand their roles and
responsibilities in emergency education. In Uri, Save the Children has
facilitated the reopening of 5 schools. We aim to ensure the reopening of at
least 50 primary schools in 30 villages in the affected districts and to
support local services to deliver quality education.
Child Protection
As
a lead agency for both child protection and education, Save the Children is
taking responsibility for co-ordinating activities. To date, Save the Children
has not come across protection issues relating to separated children or child
trafficking.
We
will restart 40 centres of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (the
national government scheme of ICDS centres) to support early childhood
development in affected villages, most of which have been badly damaged.
Centres will be supported to recover their regular functions, as well as
provide safe play areas for children. There is also a plan to provide some
informal activities to children during the winter months so that they remain
active.
Ongoing and Long-term Response
Save
the Children UK are working together with other Alliance members to provide a
multi-sectoral approach — involving health, shelter, distribution of food and
basic household items, protection, education and livelihood security — to its
recovery and long-term development efforts in South Asia. The goal is to make
real and lasting change in the lives of 40,000 children and their families in
the affected areas.
Funding
Funding
for the UN Flash Appeal has now reached $109 million in commitments and
contributions, with a further $45 million in pledges. This amounts to less than
a fifth of the current appeal of $550 million.
Save
the Children UK will spend £4 million on our programme activities in the
affected areas.