- DAWN - Earthquake Relief

About Dawn Relief	Khadija’s Story	Behram’s Story	Baby Asghar's Story	A Victory at Chica0go	The Winning Campaign	How you can help

Khadija’s story
“These canvas walls shall not be my prison. With your help, my unbroken spirit shall soar to the skies...”
“The canvas of this tent is suffocating, even though an icy wind is blowing outside. What has happened to my life? Everything was going so well. Saeeda, my elder sister, had taken leave from her government job in Muzaffarabad to help Ammi with the wedding. After Eid, I was going to marry my cousin, Muzzamil. And now he has perished in the earthquake. As have Ammi, my sister, and Shahid, my brother. Abu had already left us four years ago. Now, only Javed, my five-year-old brother, remains. How will the two of us survive? We cannot spend the rest of our lives in this tent village, living by the help of others. What have we done to deserve this? I must force myself to think positively. I need to take control of own my life and Javed’s. My first step? I shall break free from the bondage of this canvas. And work to achieve my hopes, my dreams... our future.” — Khadija Ali* *Although the real identity of Khadija Ali has been withheld, the facts of the story are true. Khadija Ali is a 19-year-old hailing from the village of Kucha-e-Sayedan, located on the left bank of the Upper Jhelum Valley, in Hattian Tehsil. Her story is the story of the several thousands of women, who, just after at 08:50 am, on October 8, 2005, found themselves suddenly without a future. 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. Khadija has lost her family. Her intended marriage is now a thing of the past. She has to nurse her little brother through the hunger, the illness and the long winter ahead. Javed must continue his education by going to school. And Khadija, as the new head of the family, must now support the household. To do this, Khadija must learn new vocational skills that will allow her to survive with dignity in this remote corner of Kashmir. To achieve this, she must regain her mental strength, her will to live. Help Khadija weave new textures into the canvas of her life

The Land And The Women

[Top]

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, 49% of whom were women.

With a ratio of 100 females for every 103 males, Hattian Tehsil had the highest female to male ratio compared to the other two tehsils in the Muzaffarabad District.

Hattian Tehsil also boasted an enviable outlook in terms of education for women. 15,000 females had at least a primary level education; rural literacy in the tehsil was as high as 26%. Additionally, more than one-fourth of women were between 15 to 29 years of age. Thus, the picture of a somewhat upbeat and progressive society, slowly beginning to inch forth, emerges.

The earthquake of October 8, 2005 has reversed this fledgling progress in the status of Hattian Tehsil’s women. In addition, there has been a virtual wipeout of primary schools, and significantly, of women’s training centres. Instead, many young women have been left orphaned, widowed, and even homeless.

DAWN RELIEF intends to change that. We will aid 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.

Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Tahir Mirza

The DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 569-3995
webmaster@dawn.com

Note: Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.

Help Khadija weave new textures into the canvas of her life

Help Khadija weave new textures
into the canvas of her life