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Behram’s Story
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My satchel slips away from my hands, The sky beckons. Shall I go alone... Mother?*”
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“How Behzad would have laughed, seeing Master Sahab stumble on those books! Stifling a giggle, I turn to nudge him -– and then remember that Behzad is no longer with us. My best friend... how reluctant he was to leave home that morning of October 8. He just didn’t want to go to school that day. But Khala Jaan picked up his comb and running it through his hair, told him to get his satchel and hurry. Because it was at school that he would learn those things that would one day help him become a doctor. Behzad a doctor! That morning in class Behzad was more serious than mischievous. Then suddenly, at 8:50 a.m., the earth began to shake and shake... we ran into the courtyard, Behzad holding my hand. In the rush we were separated... that was the last I saw of Behzad. Later, all we found was his satchel. Behzad, I went to see Khala Jaan today. I promised her I would become a doctor one day as she wished you to be.” — Behram** * Lines from Mahmud Shyam. ** Although the real identity of Behram has been withheld, the facts of the story are true. Behram is an 11-year-old boy hailing from the village of Karthama, located on the right bank of the Upper Jhelum Valley in Hattian Tehsil. His story is one of many that have poured forth from the thousands of children who on October 8, 2005, just after 8:50 a.m. found their lives permanently changed. While nationwide relief efforts emphasise the need to rebuild material infrastructures, we need to be cogently aware that the earthquake also destroyed the fabric of people’s lives. This, above all, must be rebuilt.
Behram has lost all his family in the earthquake. He has no one left except an uncle in the Middle East and a cousin in Karachi. Of his classmates, only three remain – the others have perished. Yet, he only speaks of Behzad but not of them, perhaps, because Behzad’s loss is all he can cope with.
Behram has a
dream.
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The Land and our Children
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 Hattian Tehsil, where the earthquake destroyed over 90% of the total
number of houses, was once home to a population of over 166,000 people, 37% of whom were school-going children between the ages of four and 14.
Hattian Tehsil also boasted an enviable outlook in terms of education for children. In an area where the literacy rate was higher than the national average (46%), 84% of the children between the ages of 10 and 14 were literate. In terms of secondary education as well, Hattian Tehsil had the highest literacy rate compared to other tehsils, as 61% of young people between ages 15-19 were literate. Thus the picture of a progressive society, where education for children and young people was valued, emerges. The earthquake of October 8, 2005 not only destroyed homes but also 90% of all the schools in the area. Many of the children attending school were killed and many of those who survived are homeless, orphaned, and have no access to education. DAWN RELIEF intends to change that. We will aid the children of our village communities to step forward once again onto the path of progress. Our tent villages are located in Kucha-e-Sayedan, Jiggal Bala, Karthama and Lamnian-Reshian in Hattian Tehsil.  |
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Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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