Farkhanda Wazir reports on the difference Oxfam’s emergency response is making in Yar Hussain camp.
“Water is the main problem in this camp. The water we get is dirty and warm,” Zeenat Begum from Swat tells me.”It is very hot in the tents,” she continues. “We don’t get enough food for our families. For everything we have to stand in line for hours.” When I ask her what she and her family most need, she answers without hesitation: “we need water coolers to store water and keep it cool.”
Nuran Shah is also staying in Yar Hussain camp. She echoes Zeenat’s concerns: ” I fear that my seven children will get sick in this heat. We are all concerned about clean water.”
Without proper water and sanitation facilities, the thousands of people who have sought shelter in camps like Yar Hussain are at risk from diseases such as diarrhoea and malaria. That’s why Oxfam is installing more than 200 latrines and a water distribution system to provide water throughout the camp.
We are also trying to create an area of enclosed space where women can wash and do their daily household chores in privacy. Mother of two Halima told me that the separate latrines and washrooms have brought a sigh of relief for them because it was difficult to go to the other parts of the camp.
Oxfam has also distributed relief items to more than 500 internally displaced families living in Yar Hussain camp. The relief packages contain a hygiene kit for a family of seven including a plastic bucket with lid for collecting water, a cooler, a water storage unit with tap, dish washing and laundry soaps, plastic mats and two hand fans. Displaced families can register to receive relief items, with the head of each family receiving a registration card that enables them to collect goods.
Getting relief is a difficult and lengthy process for everyone, especially women. Oxfam is working hard to make it easier for women to get what they need. Female-headed households can send a male representative to receive their household kits. “As a women I always face difficulties to receive anything,” says Husan Jan from Char Bagh. “But I was given a token the day before the distribution [of hygiene kits], and so I was able to send my son with the token and my ID card.”
Pakistan conflict: Oxfam’s response
Tags: Conflict, Humanitarian, pakistan, Swat valley
