u guys must be thinkin that i sometime end up postin many useless news articles... but the truth is that i cant resist sharing any news which i read about our displaced families
Occasion brings smiles to internally displaced women
Monday, May 11, 2009
Myra Imran
Islamabad
The Mother’s Day brought smiles to around 50 internally displaced women from Swat, who gathered here Sunday to observe the day with civil society workers.
Organised by Potohar Organisation for Development Advocacy (PODA), the event was the first experience of its kind for these women now settled in Mohallah Safdar Abbas, Pirwadhai.
“People here keep distance from us, as if we are terrorists,” said one of the women, obviously delighted and surprised all the same at this maiden interaction with the local women.
No one from among these IDPs had ever heard about the Mother’s Day and they seemed more interested in sharing their traumatic experiences. The civil society members distributed sweets among them and listened to their grievances while telling them to use whatever skills they possessed to support their families.
Majority of them said that they were good at embroidery and sewing while some were experts in vegetable growing and others said that they used to help their husbands in the fields. All of them looked quite worried about their husbands and older children, left behind to take care of fields and animals. “Wheat fields were ready for harvesting and fruit trees were full of apricots and peaches and we could not afford to leave the hard work of a full year just go to waste like that,” said one woman. She said that “we women” had no choice, but to leave everything behind. “These trees, fields and animals are our livelihood.”
Migrating from their villages did secure their lives, but a new set of problems in an absolutely new environment awaited them in Rawalpindi. “We do not have much to eat, our children are not being given admission in schools and even the doctors are not ready to treat us,” complained another woman.
She said that they had identity cards, but the school administrations ask for birth and school leaving certificates. “How can people who left their area in an emergency arrange for such documents.” She said that they had no source of income and their children scavenge garbage all day to earn enough to buy a meal.
The latest arrival of IDPs in this locality came three days ago while the first family reached three months earlier. Among the gathering of 50 women, only two said that they had studied till Grade III. “All our children were going to school until the Taliban came and started ordering people to stop sending the kids to schools”, said one woman whose daughter’s school was bombed by Taliban. The girl, a seventh grader became paralysed from waist down due to fear and shock from the bombing.
The PODA officials told ‘The News’ that there are around 200 families settled in Mohallah Safdar Abbasi with each having eight to 10 children. “The area is not a refugee camp and the first few families actually came here to stay with their relatives already settled in this area,” said Sameena Nazir, directress PODA. As more and more people migrated from the troubled areas, the number of families has increased. These IDPs are mainly from Swat and Kohistan areas from the villages of Purana Gaun, Bebrain, Kalam, Ramir, Lati Kot, Khushal, Panjgaram, Sataal, Aieen, Naji Gahri and Satgaran.
Talking about the threat of Taliban, they said that they had to leave due to constant threats to their lives. “I was afraid to send my children to school or even outside home fearing they may not come back alive.” They were unanimous in their opinion that Taliban were cruel and the local people did not support them. “If we supported them, we would not be leaving our homes and livelihoods,” remarked one woman while another pointed out that Taliban used to insult them and humiliate their families.
The PODA Directress Sameena said that internally displaced mothers were suffering economically, physically and emotionally and needed urgent help from both society and the government. “If help fails to arrive in time, these garbage picking children will have no choice to but to join madrassas.” She said that most of the IDPs spoke Kohistani or Pushto languages and were shy to ask for help. “They are in urgent need of trauma counselling and income generation help.”
The main problems faced by IDPs, she said were lack of housing, discrimination in renting homes (most people are afraid to rent out their homes to IDPs fearing that they are coming from terrorist areas), schooling for children and access to healthcare. “Most families are not even able to have two meals a day.” She said that these women were ideal candidates for Benazir Income Support Programme, but they did not have any idea how to have access to those funds. “They are not receiving any Zakat or Bait-ul-Mal funds or help from the Social Welfare Department.”
Occasion brings smiles to internally displaced women
