The women in Reesalat’s family all know what killed this beautiful young woman – it was the conflict. She may not have been killed by a bullet or a shell, but they know that without the stress of the war and their displacement she would still be with them today.
Reesalat gave birth to her fifth child as she and her extended family fled from the troubled Swat region in North West Pakistan, but died 12 days later. She was just 28 years old.
Reesalat’s family were forced to leave their home in Mingora, Swat as the conflict intensified and their village came under attack. Her younger sister Shahnaz explained what happened.
“We were used to there being violence in Mingora and there had been a curfew and fighting on and off for two years,” she said. “But then it began to increase and the fighting became almost continuous.”
“I saw many people killed”
“When our village started to be attacked with rockets and shells we decided we had to leave. Early in the morning after fajr prayer the attacks started again in the village and so we fled. We left with nothing, just the clothes on our backs but the only thing we were worried about was making sure our children were safe,” Shahnaz explained.
“It was chaos in our village, and I saw many people killed and others who were severely injured as they tried to run away. This experience left us all traumatised but unfortunately this trauma has been surpassed by our own misery.
Fleeing on foot
“There was no transportation available in our village so we had to leave on foot. We walked for one day and one night across the mountains. During this time my sister, Reesalat went into labour. We were far away from any health facilities and so we had to take her to a stranger’s house, where she gave birth to a baby girl, Laila,” said Shahnaz.
“Reesalat had some difficulties and was in severe pain but there was no doctor to help her, just a traditional birth attendant. She was so worried about giving birth in unhygienic conditions in a stranger’s home and she was very stressed and anxious,” said Shanaz.
“Not long after she had given birth we had to start moving again. She was in a lot of pain and walking in the mountainous terrain was almost impossible for her.”
Living with relatives
“Thankfully we finally came to a road where we managed to find a truck to bring us all here, to Char Gulli. Initially we were living with a relative but the conditions were not good, so another family member from this area made this house available for us.
“Reesalat was living here with Laila and her other four children. She was in a lot of pain and was bleeding heavily but there is no female doctor in this area and all she could do was get a little medicine from the local pharmacy,” explained Shahnaz. “But this didn’t work and her condition continued to deteriorate, and 12 days after giving birth she died.”
Laila in the classroom where she lives with family
Stress and trauma
“Before the conflict came to our village and we had to flee, Reesalat had no health problems and her pregnancy was going well. We truly believe that the stress and trauma caused by the violence and the difficult journey we had to make after fleeing our village, lead to her death,” said Shahnaz.
It has been 25 days since Reesalat died and baby Laila and her other four children are now living with their uncle in a makeshift camp at a local school in Char Gulli. They are staying with 12 other family members in a dirty classroom with bare floors, broken windows and no furniture. The only possessions they have are a few blankets and cooking pots, but nothing else.
Laila’s 13-year-old sister Shah Begum has taken charge of caring for her baby sister since her mother’s death. But she is upset and traumatised by the death of her mother and is struggling to cope.
Health problems
Conditions in the school are very poor and deteriorating by the day. There is very little access to clean water and many children are suffering from diarrhoea, skin infections and respiratory problems.
Laila is underweight and has scabies but is receiving medical care from Islamic Relief’s health team based at the Basic Health Unit (BHU) in Char Gulli. Islamic Relief is installing water and sanitation facilities at the school, to try and prevent the spread of disease amongst the IDPs living there.
No proper home
The conditions back in the house where Shahnaz and the other family members are staying are not much better. The house is still being built and there are no proper walls or roof, or any doors or windows. Six families – more than 40 people - are sharing just three rooms. There are only a few beds so most of the children have to sleep on the bare mud floor.
The house has no proper place to cook and no running water or sanitation facilities. The families have received some help from local people and from charitable organisations but they are suffering because they do not have enough food or water, and most of the children are ill, mainly with diarrhoea.
Feeling anxious
Shahnaz is eight months pregnant herself and is worried about looking after a new-born baby in such unhygienic conditions.
“I am eight months pregnant with my fourth child and am very anxious about what will happen when I give birth,” she said. “I have been suffering from severe pain and have been feeling weak and dizzy since I arrived here, which I think is a result of the journey but I have not had any medical care.
“I now know about the Islamic Relief medical team at the BHU and I will go there for a check up. But I am worried about going into labour at night. Then the BHU will be closed and my only option will be to travel to the hospital in Mardan, but we don’t have any money for transportation,” Shahnaz said.
“I am worried about caring for a small baby in these conditions and am scared that he or she will become ill,” said Shahnaz. “But right now I am powerless to change my circumstances and improve the situation, and all I can do is hope and pray that we can return home as soon as possible.”
Providing healthcare
To help women like Shahnaz Islamic Relief has set up a 24-hour ambulance service that is based at the Char Gulli BHU and the Rustam Civil Hospital, and at our Mercy Centres which will take serious cases to the main hospital. We have also recruited two female doctors as part of our health team who are providing essential medical care including ante-natal and post-natal health care.