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October 2005 - September 2006

Within hours of the earthquake, Islamic Relief (IRW) was distributing life-saving relief items including food, water, tents and clothes. Emergency relief teams also provided medical assistance and helped clear the roads of debris.

In the weeks and months that followed, we ensured people had better shelter to protect them from the freezing temperatures.

More recently, our work with local communities has focused on getting people back to work and helping them rebuild their lives.

October - December 2005

• Teams of IRW aid workers distribute food, water, bedding, warm clothes & tents to thousands of people in Bagh, Muzaffarabad, Neelum Valley and Rawalakot.
• In partnership with Concern Worldwide and UNICEF, we provide clean water, sanitation facilities and hygiene education to 120,000 people in Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Dhirkot.
• Hundreds of injured people are treated at IRW’s Neelum Valley Health Clinic. Also, medical supplies worth millions of US dollars donated by the LDS Church are delivered to affected communities.
• IRW and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) team up to supply 145,000 people with monthly food rations for six months.
• Local staff and volunteer engineers from the UK clear roads to reach remote villages cut off from aid using hired earth-moving vehicles. Working with the Frontier Works Organisation IRW re-opens 95% of all roads by November.
  This project cleared one third of all the debris on the roads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and NWFP, allowing aid to reach 1.7million people. That’s approximately 1400 km of road in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and 990km in the NWFP.
• 287 large tents are set up as temporary schools in Muzaffarabad and Bagh
• Thousands of latrines are installed and clean water is distributed to families in tent camps in Muzaffarabad.

January - March 2006

• More supplies of tents, medicine and blankets are distributed in Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Rawalakot.
• IRW funds 3 health clinics. Two clinics are mobile and can reach remote villages.
• Transitional shelters for over 123,000 people are constructed and 6,000 more shelter kits are distributed to people whose homes have been destroyed or severely damaged.
• IRW begins to shift focus from relief work towards recovery and reconstruction, including designing water and sanitation projects, social mobilisation projects, healthcare, education, disaster preparedness and livelihood support.

April - June 2006

• IRW carries out damage assessment surveys of homes in four regions, Hill Surang, Swanj, Nar Sher Ali Khan and Sangal.
• We provide construction skills training to 1,900 masons, carpenters, plumbers and electricians who will help rebuild the area.
• Many displaced people begin moving out of tent camps back to their original towns and villages. However, some still remain so the camp water and sanitation facilities are rehabilitated for their use.

July - September 2006

• IRW staff are trained in building earthquake-resistant houses and carrying out damage assessments.
• IRW increases its work in Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Rawalakot and Neelum Valley to provide clean drinking water, sanitation facilities and hygiene education to thousands of people. 5,000 latrines are constructed and more work is planned.
• Our work focuses on helping communities recover their livelihoods in Neelum Valley, Forward Kahuta, Dhirkot, Rawalakot, Bagh and Muzaffarabad.
• Cash-for-work schemes are set up, benefiting over 2,500 people and agricultural workers and farmers receive training. Seeds, maize, fodder and tools are provided for 65,000 people and over 30,000 livestock animals are de-wormed and vaccinated.
• IRW is working with the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) on a 14-month disaster-preparedness programme that will include training communities in first aid techniques.
• With its partners, Islamic Relief has constructed over 24,000 transitional shelters in Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Bagh, Dhirkot, Forward Kahuta and Neelum Valley.

One year on, our focus is on getting people back to work so that they are self-sufficient once more.