Swat Relief Initiative (SRI) update

With your continual support and generous contributions, we have now progressed from our relief effort to development work, in which we mobilize and strengthen communities to help women and children have a better future through healthcare, education, economic development and a sustainable environment. SRI is very grateful for its partnership with HDF, which provides all the technical support for our programs.

I returned in August from my three month yearly trip to Swat where I worked in the field daily, improving our Preventive Healthcare Program, conducting Health and Nutrition Seminars, forming women and men’s village development organizations and interviewing people who are receiving our aid to make sure that our programs are effective and making a difference in the lives of poor people.

In addition to our preventive healthcare program, which is improving maternal health, reducing infant mortality and reducing the incidence of deadly diseases, we have now started new programs and activities that that will greatly enhance the quality of life for people in villages that we serve.

This summer, with the help of our partner HDF, we started forming village development organizations in all our target villages. The purpose of forming and training these organizations is to create organized communities that can work with us to be involved in their own development by improving education, health, economic development and the environment.

After forming and training a village development organization in Katair village, we found out that many people were dying of waterborne diseases because Katair village’s water source was polluted. In order to prevent death and disease in this village we installed a water filtration plant here.  Since we had already formed the village development organization in which every household was represented, we were able to convince them to donate land for the filtration plant and also made them take ownership for the upkeep of the plant, like paying for the meter, electricity and maintenance, such as changing the filter at the water plant. Organizing the community is the only effective way to help people, because we have seen too many wells and water filtration plants installed by aid organizations that are now nonfunctional because the community was not trained and organized to take the responsibility for their upkeep.

After a survey in Sarkari Cham village we noticed there was a large number of widows and orphans, because this village was particularly hard hit by the Taliban conflict.  With the help of the community, that we organized and trained, we were able to open a vocational training center for poor widows and orphans so they could have the means to support themselves. Your donations have made it possible for many orphans and widows to become self sufficient and independent.

With your generous help we have also built 2 coeducation schools, this summer, in very remote areas that do not have access to education. These schools will give children from very poor families an education in an area where the opportunity to get educated has never existed.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have sent me emails expressing their concern for Malala Yousafzai, the young Swati girl, who was shot by the Taliban for bravely speaking out for the rights of girls to be educated. My family in particular has been devastated by the news of Malala, since we are very close to her family and work with them in Swat. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, came to stay with us in Princeton last year, and mentioned the death threats he was receiving from the Taliban. Ziauddin is a member of the Rotary Club that I started in Swat to coordinate the effort of well meaning Swatis to work for education, health and economic development for poor women and children.

My grandfather, Miangul Jahanzeb, the Wali of Swat, pioneered girls’ education, as early as 1922, in an area that was very backward at the time. Had it not been for his effort to build thousands of schools, people like Malala would not have had a voice in Swat today. We certainly do not hear of people like Malala in other tribal area in Pakistan, where, unlike Swat, girls were never given an opportunity to study, and investment in education and infrastructure has never been a priority. After seeing what happed to Malala, I have become even more determined to continue the education and infrastructure initiatives my grandfather started in Swat.

I am in contact with Malala's family, and we are all praying that she recovers fully, so she can continue her courageous work to challenge the Taliban and promote girls education. Because of the Taliban assassination attempt on Malala’s life, my family is now worried about me, because I spend three months of the year working in remote villages of Swat, vigorously promoting women and children's health, education and economic development.

I am truly grateful for the encouragement and support I get from people like you which gives me the courage to continue my work for girls' education and wellbeing in a very dangerous area.

Best regards,

Zebu

From the club's archive:

Read about Zebu's visit to our club in August 2012 at http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/story/StoryDetail.aspx?accountid=8564&sid=287592&stid=