Christian Agencies Provide Skills Education to Aid Pakistan Quake Survivors

Survivors of the Pakistan earthquake more than one year ago are learning new methods and skills to continue the rebuilding of the region, following the devastation which killed more than 75,000 people and left more than three million homeless.

|PIC1|Church World Service (CWS) has set up a Construction Trades Training Centre, to provide education to natives with desperate needs.

Rebuilding more than 400,000 houses in mountainous areas of North West Frontier Province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir has been and continues to be a huge task, with only 17 per cent completed so far, explains Christian Aid, a partner of CWS.

In light of the lack of skilled builders, CWS decided last winter to start training people living in relief camps to rebuild their own houses - giving them new job skills.

So far 432 young men have been trained as carpenters, electricians, masons and plumbers in three CWS centres.

The Pakistani government has prohibited aid agencies from constructing houses, so instead, the authorities have given grants to each affected family to do it themselves.

Those who have acquired the new skills are also now helping to rebuild schools, such as one in the remote Kund Valley. It will be earthquake resistant and the design has been approved by the Pakistani authorities.

"I am very proud to help with the reconstruction of the earthquake-struck areas, especially since I was affected myself," said Azeem, who is one of the trainees of CWS, and whose house was damaged by the quake.

"That is the passion behind my work. I want to construct buildings that can resist an earthquake, so this tragedy will never happen again."

The walls of the school are stuffed with insulation material so they can still be used during the cold winter months.

Christian Aid has given £3 million for shelter, water, food, clothing, training and counselling for people whose lives were devastated by the earthquake.

More than £2 million was given to CWS by Christian Aid, towards providing relief supplies, shelter and clean water. In addition female doctors and counsellors were sent to remote rural areas where they set up and now staff health clinics.

Christian Aid also gave more than £500,000 to Islamic Relief which has built sturdy transitional shelters that are insulated to withstand the harsh winter weather, and provided household items such as food, blankets and clothes.

Christian Aid has told that further money will be given to help people during the winter months.