Spirit Fundraising Committee

Implementing partner: Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP)
Country: Pakistan
Dates: 2005 - ongoing

Principal Donors: Monsoon Trust, Reed Elsevier, Capital International, Four Acre Trust, Madeline Mabey Trust, Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust, Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust, Asia House, Bannister-Parker Trust, A B Charitable Trust, The Michael and Lousia Von Clemm Foundation Inc, Peterborough Council, Spirit Fundraising committee, Schools4Schools, Lisa B and Anton Bilton, Thor & Kristin Bjorgolfsson, and many other generous donations from anonymous donors and members of the British public.

LfL has been working with Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) since 1996 to develop Community Based Schools, owned and managed by local communities, in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. With this project, LfL aims to effect and support long-term, sustainable, positive change in the lives of underprivileged children and their families, in one of the most conservative and mountainous regions of Pakistan.

The earthquake that struck Northern Pakistan on 8th October 2005 devastated Mansehra and Battagram, two of the five regions we work in. Project activities were set aside as we, and our local partner, SRSP, worked tirelessly to meet the urgent needs of the community. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, relief work was aimed at providing communities with shelter, food, and medicines. However, recognising the role of education - not only in rehabilitation but also in maintaining a degree of normality - the schools resumed their activities in the open air or in tents as soon as was practical. Traumatised and lacking proper shelter and other facilities, students found it hard to concentrate; but the continuity provided by school activities enabled them to regain a sense of social stability.

Tragically, 51 pupils lost their lives in the disaster while another 43 were seriously injured. One of our School Monitoring Officers, Mr. Abdul Rasheed, was missing for 6 weeks, buried under the rubble. However, none of the teachers or members of the Village Education Committees who manage the schools lost their lives. The disaster affected 19 of our 25 planned Community Schools in the Mansehra region, with 11 completely destroyed and 8 severely damaged. The continuation of aftershocks to the region exacerbated the problem; all 19 schools were in need of rebuilding.

In collaboration with SRSP, LfL embarked on a reconstruction project to rebuild the 19 old schools that were destroyed and to found the 6 new schools that were previously planned for construction in 2006. The importance with which these impoverished villages view the education provided by the Community Schools was highlighted as villagers themselves donated land and skills to help rebuild the schools.

Almost two years after the disaster, we are delighted to announce that we have exceeded our initial target, with the construction of a total of 27 schools. This represents an incredible achievement - particularly given the poor accessibility, exacerbated by the effects of the earthquake itself, and the heavy snow and monsoon rain which followed - and also the shortage of labour and materials, both of which were in great demand and short supply due to the massive reconstruction efforts throughout the region.

The new schools are earthquake-resistant structures, each consisting of 2-4 classrooms and an adjoining health unit. LfL's work in Pakistan has underlined the urgent need for health and education to work together. To that end, we have arranged essential training in health, nutrition and hygiene for our teachers, School Monitoring Officers, and Village Education Committees (VECs). With the support of the VECs, teachers are now able to raise awareness of basic community health issues, during community meetings and parent meetings and the classroom health education and check-ups. The health centres are now established hubs of health awareness. In such remote mountain communities, where people have little access to health facilities, this represents a new and significant contribution to community development.

Testimonials

Zainab Bibi, of CBS Sumbol, Mansehra, NWFP:
"When the earthquake came I was in school at that time. The earth under my feet began to move. I was terrified. Our teacher quickly took us out of the school building. We could hear people screaming in the village. 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." Zainab rejoined her school, CBS Sumbol, in the new reconstructed building at the beginning of the new term, September 2006, and is enjoying the new spacious building as well as the playground that she uses in her free time with her friends. 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 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 experienced by her friends, family and community as a result of the earthquake.