Honourable Mons. Dino Pistolato,

An assessment survey recently carried out by APMA teams in Balakot, one of the most devastated towns by the October 8, 2005 earthquake; continue to suffer from winter as they still wait for shelter. It shows that approximately 63 to 70 % of the affectees are still living in tents after the tragedy and many seek shelter in the wreckage of family homes.

According to the Pakistan authorities, only 17 percent of the 450,000 affected households have begun building permanent homes.

The scale of the catastrophe, difficult mountainous terrain, poor infrastructure, extreme weather conditions, problems with disseminating public information, as well as gaps in support for some vulnerable groups, have hindered the pace of reconstruction. As a result, many are still at risk with snow already falling in one of the highest regions in the world

As the winter has approached the earthquake affectees and children have no protection from the extreme conditions. The recent cold wave across Pakistan is acute and in of places where the inhabitants had to really face the cold is Balakot. By 6 o'clock, it's dark and the temperature is dropping below freezing and gnawing cold often claims the weak. Lacking the proper protection against the biting cold most houses are just a shell. Few families are brave enough to live in what remains, despite the risks.

With the onset of snow the conditions are really getting steadily worse and worse. Many tents collapse with heavy snow. These tents distributed last year are now cannot sustain the weather conditions or snowfall conditions. There are many villages where the cold is slowly taking the vulnerable and its people still waiting for help to arrive. The path to villages is treacherously slippery, and there's a thousand-foot drop on one side. It is dangerous to travel from one place to another and extend necessary help to these affectees.

The APMA relief workers have to dig the way through landslides and run the gauntlet of falling rocks. Thousands of others in remote rural areas also remain at risk because routes to access vital supplies of food, fuel and medicine are often blocked by winter snow and landslides.

People still wait for promised support and shelters the authorities have failed to provide the survivors who lost their land during the earthquake to rebuild their lives. In any case, the shelter provided by the authorities are so small and of such poor quality that few people especially those with large family, really want to live in them, in fact can not live in them. The biting cold has worsened their plight.

The earthquake has also impacted the social fabric of the society by partially breaking up the joint family system. This is reflected in 26.8% increase in the number of households. The number of increase in households could also be due to the realization in post quake period that relief was handed out to the affectees on the basis of households.

Majority of these house holds have no electricity, gas and other essential facilities.

The prospects of earning have drastically dropped after the earthquake with the death of so many wage earners, men & women and the livestock.

The upper valleys, located above 5000 feet, are largely mountainous and forested and almost entirely dependent on tourism related activities.

Tourism has been severely affected as a result of quake. Joblessness is soaring among the inhabitants and apart from the compensation provided to those whose family members died in the quake or those who lost their houses, financial assistance to the earthquake victims has been wholly inadequate.

In reality, life has been placed on pause with most people not knowing what life has in store for them. For many, the greatest anxiety seems to be finding shelter to face the harsh winter. People in temporary shelters in rural and mountain areas need sustained access to safe heating and other essential items particularly in this snowy winter that is predicted to be more harsher than the previous winters, the survivors need food, warm cloths and blankets. The children and elderly are among the most vulnerable and have already fallen prey to biting cold.

APMA is distributing food, warm cloths, shoes, blankets and building shelters of materials such as corrugated iron sheets and wood to help rural dwellers winterize their shelters, building homes for the most vulnerable groups such as widows and the disabled.

In these critical conditions, APMA has planned to help approximately 300 families which will benefit approximately 2400 individuals. These most vulnerable families are selected by APMA survey teams. APMA has already started building corrugated iron sheet shelters supported by wooden structures, for these victims.

APMA through its micro enterprise programme intend to help the victims to set up small business to earn their livelihood. Few victims are already helped by APMA to establish small shops.

One of the tented schools run by APMA has also replaced by iron shelters as classrooms, insolated with thermal sheet and wood for protection from extreme weathers. APMA intend to build two more schools at Balakot district.

APMA has also distributed warm jackets, shoes, school uniform and school packages to among the 460 students of the three schools being looked after by APMA.

APMA teams and volunteers are reaching people in need and providing their services around the clock. The volunteers and APMA staff are staying in the tents at Balakot base camp of APMA.

Appeal

Your prayers, support and assistance to purchase food, warm cloths and blankets and iron sheet shelters for the victims will help APMA to save many lives and touch their hearts with the love of Christ the Savior.

Kindly continue to pray for the victims who are facing harsh winter and APMA teams who are reaching people in need despite of endangering conditions.

Shahbaz Bhatti,

Chairman,

All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA).