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Imagine a 10 x 18
foot wide school class room, dark, heavy air, two windows,
a door and no furniture. Now imagine 40 people living
in this small space! No bedding, no attached toilet.
That’s what Suhaib and Hasan saw when they first
visited Hathian, a town just off the main road leading
to Swat in the Mardan district. This was just one of
the 20 rooms in a secondary high school building that
was closed down to house the IDPs. There are 11 odd
schools in this individual union council area housing
about 4,000 IDPs. Also, 14,000 individuals live in village
homes whose owners and occupants have generously opened
their doors to these displaced people. The situation
was alarming to say the least; moreover neither government
aid nor any NGO had made it to this place yet.
The two gentlemen were back the next day. This time
they had a truck load of goods to distribute to the
needy. They soon however became overwhelmed by the scale
of the demand; the truck could not even cater for the
people in this particular school which was housing about
700 people. Determined to do more, they returned back
home to Rawalpindi and started spreading the word around.
Soon they were offered help by the Islamabad Jeep Club,
a group of like minded people from all walks of life
with a passion for 4x4 vehicles and offroading. The
administration and members of the Islamabad Jeep Club
(IJC) felt that given the resources they had, in terms
of manpower and logistics, it was their responsibility
to help the IDPs - a debt they owe towards the nation,
this effort was now called Project Hathian.
While the IJC was gathering funds and food stuff, Suhaib
and friends were able to establish a lungar (food stall)
at the school that started catering for some 1800 people.
Food was distributed to a few other schools as well
and it was made sure that the quality of the food was
at par with any food that is normally consumed at a
reasonable home. Within a couple of days, the IJC was
there with full force, bringing truck loads of dry food
rations enough to cater to a 100 families for about
7-10 days time. Apart from this, water coolers, bedding
sets, water containers, hand-fans, medicines and sports
goods were also brought. These goods were distributed
amongst the IDPs. Every volunteer was taken around the
school and into the houses to witness the situation
and to talk to the affected people. The volunteers provided
a sense of hope, and it was noted that this boosted
the morale of the IDPs.
A committee was formed with representatives from the
local community, the IDPs and from Project Hathian donors.
This committee would overlook the distribution and make
sure that it is done in a transparent and honest manner.
It was strongly felt that the people living in these
homes had to be helped as well. For this issue, a clear
distribution system had to be developed. In the coming
days, two young volunteers, Waqas and Ali began working
towards this goal. Ration cards were printed and were
issued to the IDPs by going door to door. Details about
each family were verified and noted on the cards and
registers. Initially, only 400 cards were to be issued
as that was what the project could cater for.
With the second trip came three truck loads with 400
ration packs that would be distributed against the ration
cards being issued. These were offloaded into the school
store and distribution began immediately. The next trip
was a few days later and had three trucks full of goods
with 25 volunteers. Seven teams of volunteers started
going door to door in different areas to expedite the
issuance of the ration cards. This was essentially a
slow process, but delay in the issuance would mean a
delay in the distribution. Fortunately, by the evening
a total of 380 cards had been issued, the target was
thus met.
A magic show was arranged in the main school at 5 pm.
Some 400+ children and about 100 adults enjoyed the
show. Children were actively involved by the performers
and called on to the stage from time to time for tricks.
That one hour probably saw more smiles and laughs than
any day since these people migrated. It was appreciated
across the board and we hope to hold similar events
on a larger scale in the near future. At the end of
the show, toys and sweets were distributed to a large
mob of children.
Project Hathian, thanks to donations from friends is
continuing to grow. With a successful distribution system
on the ground, it is hoped that it can expand and support
more families in the area. This is a perfect example
of how a small group of friends can get together and
synergistically help thousands. It is hoped to make
this a Model Project which can be replicated in other
areas and, God forbid, in other times of calamity.
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