Summary of Efforts and Initiatives

Sonmiani Council

Population:  25,000

Land: 50,000 acres

Literacy rate: (rural Rajanpur) 15.47%

6,100 homes

780 water sources

600 Hamlets

Extent of Disaster

Sonmiani was cut off from the rest of the already remote district of Rajanpur.

7,653 structures destroyed

26,480 acres in pukka land damaged

Loss of grain stored for food supply

700 tube wells and pumps damaged

200 tractors lost

Who is most affected?

SIX THOUSAND children are at risk of diseases

Children are seen playing in/near puddles of stagnant water, without any idea of what a threat it is.  Waterborne diseases have been rampantly spreading throughout Sonmiani.  Malaria is common amongst both children and adults.  Cholera and dysentery are present as well.

In 2 weeks 10 children died in Sonmiani. 

With winter approaching, the number of deaths

will drastically increase because of lack of shelter,

blankets, warm clothes, and basic needs.

Families won't have food for another 5 months

(until the next crop cycle)

Relief & Rehabilitation

Delivered food packages to 2300 families

Provided  temporary shelter for 900 families (currently in the process of distributing more)

Set up medical dispensary for total of 6 days, serving 200 people per day (checking patients, distributing necessary medicine)

Distributed 200 rehabilitation 

packages (utensils, cloth, tarp)

To women: distributed 200 quilts, 140 packets of utensils (metal glasses, plates, etc.), 120 packets of clothes, and 400 blankets

Truckloads of milk cartons, juice cartons, clothing, and utensils are currently being distributed courtesy of Imran Khan Foundation

Seed is currently being distributed to farmers with land 5 acres or less, courtesy of Imran Khan Foundation

Karachi Relief Trust is beginning construction on 250 homes


Army is rebuilding government schools in Sonmiani

Objectives

–Continue to provide food packages over the next 5 months to a list of households

–Continue to provide temporary shelter

–Rebuild homes (Karachi Relief Trust is currently rebuilding 250)

–Set up schools for boys and girls (army is rebuilding government schools)

–Repair water supplies

–Establish a community center

–Help subsistence farmers get back onto their crop cycle

Rebuilding Homes

•A blueprint of a village (made by Karachi Relief Trust)

•Approximate cost:

–Brick: RS 175,000 (US$ 2,035)

–Clay: RS 100,000 (US$ 1,163)

Education

Working with The Citizens Foundation

to set up schools.

$131,000 to build school + equipment

$15,000 annual operational costs

We have coordinated with the army to

reconstruct damaged/destroyed

government school

Community Center

•Establish a community center which will be used to transform the community through:

–Vocational education

–Communication hub

–Encouragement of local handicraft

–Function as a mandi (market) to facilitate aggregation of  both inputs and outputs of farming

–An effort to develop a cooperative

–Microfinance

Summary of Initiatives

•Provide 500 additional tents and 1300 food packages to a targeted list (ID cards)  through donation in kind
•Partnership with IKF to construct 2 model villages with approximately 400-500 homes in total
•Partnership with KRT to construct 500 model homes
•Establish a centre which will be used to transform the community  
•Set up LRBT eye camp in Sonmiani 

How you could support

•The plan is to transform one of the poorest communities into a model one.  Using this model to transfer best practice to other areas of Rajanpur and other districts in Pakistan.

•You could support by contributing to KRT specifically for Sonmiani

  Account Title: Karachi Relief Trust Sonmiani

  Account Number: 07867900749703

  Bank Name: Habib Bank Limited

  Bank Address: Habib Bank Ltd. Corporate Center, 2 HBL Plaza,   I. I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi

  Country: Pakistan

  SWIFT Code: HABBPKKA

  Phone numbers: 0092 21 3 2418000

Girls School in Sonmiani

The one room government girls' school in the town of Sonmiani.  87 Children studying in it, having to go home or to neighbor's homes to use the toilet, since there isn't one at the school.  Literacy rate in this area is estimated at 14%.  The common answer to the question "is your child in school?" was "we are poor, we can't afford to send them to school."

Most children did not have shoes.

The destruction inside the classroom.  The structure is still standing, work needs to be done to fix the school and make some improvements (ie: add toilet).  We are currently working with NGOs to rebuild these schools, and provide material (all the books, etc. we destroyed in the floods).

How many times have we all complained about having to go to school? These children were very enthusiastic about learning.  Their teachers were late because they travel from a town 1 hour away.  When the children heard that their "miss" was outside, they ran to the temporary school ready to learn.  A lady living nearby has allowed children to come to her home, which is still standing, to resume classes.  I realized how we all take the simple things for granted.  Education should not be a luxury.