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April 2007: Pakistan Earthquake Update The student enrolment at these schools continues to increase and there is a need for more school resources. Second teachers are needed to accommodate the growing student numbers as well as more library books and textbooks. Other items in demand are water coolers, first-aid kits, and additional teaching aids. It is an important goal for Learning for Life to help further education in this area and to offer continuing support as we move on from this reconstruction phase. One of the rebuilt schools, CBS Mungun, has been functioning since the 28th November 2006. At the time of the site being selected, there were 30 students enrolled for classes. Currently, there are 62 students (36 girls and 26 boys) attending the school, with another 27 students waiting to finish exams at the government school they've been attending before transferring to CBS Mungun. This means that they will no longer have to travel 3 Km for schooling. The growth in enrolment after only a few months is a resounding success and shows the communities interest in education. March 2007: UK Schools Success
Mehreen, our Schools Programme Officer, has been able to visit several schools in order to speak to teachers and pupils about the resource pack and to participate in the activities planned for the students. These activities are to increase students awareness about the projects run by Learning for Life and their knowledge of other countries. Pupils from Years 5 and 6 at Sherwood Park Primary School in Kent even learned how to make curry and then cooked for the whole school! The UK Schools Programme has been a huge success and we are looking forward to receiving feedback and evaluations from each school. October 2006: Back to School: Pakistan Earthquake - One Year On 'Our teacher asked us to open up our Urdu books. Suddenly, we heard a big rattling sound and we could feel the earth beneath our feet moving. We could not understand what was happening. There were sounds of houses crashing on the earth People said that the doomsday had come. My mother came running towards the school and took me back home, which had collapsed by then. I wish the earthquake never happened.' This is how 12-year old Zainab Bibi recollects the traumatic events of October 8th last year when the devastating earthquake struck northern Pakistan, wiping out many rural communities, claiming over 86000 lives, and leaving more than 100,000 severely injured. The earthquake affected 19 of our community-based schools, leaving 11 completely destroyed and 8 severely damaged. The continuation of aftershocks to the region exacerbated the problem and all 19 schools were in need of rebuilding. Tragically, loss of life as 51 pupils lost their lives in the disaster, while another 43 were seriously injured. With the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) we worked tirelessly to meet the urgent needs of the community that had arisen out of the crisis. Since October last year, LfL has embarked on a reconstruction project to not only rebuild all the 19 schools that were destroyed in the area but also to set up the 6 new schools that were due to start that year. We are pleased to announce that we have exceeded our initial target with 27 new schools now established in the affected area. These 27 community based schools are earthquake-resistant structures, typically comprising 3 or 4 classrooms as well as an adjoining health unit. LfL recognised the urgent need for health and education to work together and a new training programme in basic health, hygiene and nutrition for health workers is in place. These health units will be hubs for raising health awareness amongst the rural communities. The establishment of such health units in areas where people have little access to health facilities is a significant contribution to community development. To date, about 5 of these 27 schools and their health centres are complete, with the rest under construction. This has been a tremendous feat given the poor accessibility not least caused by the destruction of the earthquake but also the shortage of labour and materials exacerbated by the massive reconstruction going on throughout the region. A severe monsoon has hindered delivery of materials, with many roads being washed away. The government has also barred reconstruction in some high-risk areas that are considered susceptible to seismic shocks and hence unsafe for habitation. Elsewhere, work continues, with leveling the land and clearing the rubble being the two main problems. The remaining schools are in various stages of construction with most expected to be ready in November this year. Zainab, now in Year 3 has rejoined her school, Sumbol, in its new reconstructed building at the beginning of the new term this September and is enjoying the new spacious building as well as the playground where she spends her free time with her friends. She said that she is happy about the larger space offered in the new building which can comfortably accommodate all the 40 students in the school and students no longer have to squeeze into the small tent school which was set up in the area after the earthquake. Her mother is proud to have her daughter continue her education in a safe and comfortable environment, whilst numerous others in the province are still far from realising this dream. When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, Zainab replied, 'a teacher' in the same school that she attends. When posed the same question her classmate replied that she would like to be a doctor as she witnessed first hand the suffering and devastation suffered by her friends, family and community as a result of the earthquake. October 2006: NGOs tackle the lack of citizenship
resources. The education pack produced by LfL has resources for 5 to 11 year olds that teach UK children about the lives of their counterparts in South Asia. The long-term benefits in helping children to understand the similarities and appreciate the differences between their lives and those of other children around the world are an enormous benefit to their understanding of citizenship. LfL maintains direct and meaningful links between the children and teachers in the two continents. Lesson plans and support materials, such as photographs, are taken directly from LfL's projects in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, giving it a unique perspective. It also enables teachers the confidence to teach despite the lack of training most have in the subject. Ruth Moore, a primary teacher from Northampton commented: "In a world where everyone is becoming more aware of the global community education is the key. This pack allows children the chance to develop awareness of themselves and the wider world." As well as linking to the citizenship curriculum, the pack also links in with the new National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and the Geography curriculum. A Welsh version of the pack is also available structured to the Welsh curriculum April 2006: Lisa B becomes Patron In fact it was the birth of her first child (her second is due later this month), which brought Lisa into contact with LfL, as she wanted to get more involved with children's charities. She has for many years been involved with cancer and animal welfare charities. Her property developer husband Anton Bilton is an enthusiastic supporter of charities including Amnesty International. Lisa B feels that ignorance is at the root of all problems and therefore felt LfL with its work in both welfare and education represented her interests and passions. Working with the animal charity The Brooke, Lisa became involved with the fate of animals involved in the 2005 Pakistan earthquake. This brought the half Italian, half Puerto Rican New Yorker who lives in a stately home in Buckinghamshire into contact with LfL's work. As she says, 'It wasn't until I had Orlando that the focus on children really hit home. I admire this charity because ignorance breeds ignorance and that is the core of most problems in the world-be it animal or human rights issues. You cannot teach old dogs new tricks, but you can educate children to help them learn to make choices and have opinions for themselves. "I'm lucky to have such good fortune in my life and I want to share it as much as I can and use any ability that I have to help others. Raising LfL's profile and raising money makes me feel good, it puts a smile on my face." October 2005: South Asia Earthquake Appeal Learning for Life has launched an URGENT APPEAL to raise funds for relief efforts. Many of our partnership schools and organisations operate in the regions worst affected. We have nineteen schools in Mansehra and five in Abbottabad as well as projects in Battagram and Balakot. We have learnt that parents are scrabbling at the rubble of collapsed schools with their bare hands to find their children. In Balakot a boy aged six and girl of four were pulled out alive after surviving two days beneath the wreckage of their school. We have also already received reports of missing staff in Balakot and Mansehra. People facing the chaos of everyday poverty are now facing the chaos of this horrific earthquake. We need to respond with speed and generosity. Quick delivery of aid will prevent further loss of life from starvation, exposure and disease. To help, please make a donation. Click here to find out about past Learning for Life events. |
