Jun 24 2009
Charity week at Institute of Education and Research
by Aroona Hashmi
Institute of education and research had organized a charity week from 8th -12th June 2009 for the swat.The director actively took part and a committee was formed. Aroona Hashmi being a member of that committee. The students’ and employees enthusiastically participated .masters and PhD scholars worked assiduously to collect charity. I coordinated the work. The students proved to be a real asset as they were seen on roads in 42 or 43 degree temperature asking people to donate generously, their hard slog paid off as 16 million rupees were collected. The director postponed the mid semester so that this noble cause could be achieved .out of this 4 million were given to the University Relief Fund.
Eightmillion rupees were spend to buy items like:
Food items (dry milk, biscuits, and dry millets)
Sanitation things like cotton rolls, soaps, sanitary napkins
Stitched clothes and shoes
Medicines
Nebuliezers
oxygen cylinders
All these things were bought keeping in mind the sufferers conditions.
It was for the first time Institute of Education and Research had collected so much. It was considered as an achievement for I.E.R. I.E.R. is proud of its students who gave their valuable time and money to this cause. We all know the world in which we live is complicated to say the least. No one is wiling to help the other. There is so much despair and disillus herself looked over the charity. I Aroona Hashmi administered helping the students. The committee held a meeting in which it was decided that it was time the students and the employees should go and help the victims. 5 female teachers including the director and 4 male teachers were selected to go. There were 30 students and 10 employees who had the courage to face the danger and help the innocent victims. On Sunday the group met at 11PM and by midnight we were on our way to Sawabi.
There are three peace camps in Sawabi. The conditions are worse there. When we reached and saw the conditions we all had tear in our eyes. Every where children weeping and their were woman and men with hopes in their eyes that soon they will so back to their homes. It is difficult for them to acclimatize to the severe climate especially woman who are veiled. Every family has at least 5-15 kids and they are need of clothes, proper food and sanitary. The camps are crowded with pregnant woman, sick, old and new born. This scenario symbolize cruelty to human life. This is violation to human rights, sitting and hearing or reading about it wont affect much but being there and witnessing we see how much pain it feels to hold the dead body of your new born baby. There are 70,000 pregnant woman who need proper treatment and diet.
Punjab University is the only institute with medical camps in swat. Punjab University mobile medical and relief team visited Kund Park situated near Sawabi and provided medical treatment and edibles to 550 internally displaced people on Saturday. Earlier the mobile team consisted of PU doctors; teachers and students provided medical treatment, medicines and edibles to 18 families in Chhota Lahore Garbi (westren) and 35 families in Chhota Lahore Sharqi (eastern). Similarly 150 displaced people were given medical aid and edibles in Kalabut area and 110 peope in Jehangeera areas.
Our team divided into groups. We all had one mission to provide maximum families with help. All the
teachers and the students worked with great zeal and valor moving from camp to camp and helping them. Their language is different pushto and it was difficult to communicate with them. These people do not have a lot of self esteem they beg nor do they accept old clothes. The morning routine is that they get rusk and a cup of tea at 7:00 am and at 1:00 pm lunch and dinner at 6:00 pm. Anyone late will get nothing. Life is very miserable there a lot of people don’t get proper food that has affected their health. It is irony of life we are sitting in air conditioned rooms enjoying relishing food while here humans are in need of a chapatti and curry. Some of the families are staying in elementary schools our team went there and even provided them with clothes food etc.
Then we distributed 1000 rupees to the IDPS..The students and the teachers didn’t for once relax they had a mission and they wanted to help as many as possible. It gave us a little satisfaction. We cant stop what is happening but we can and we did help them. The IDPs had hope that they would return back by 19th – 20th June.
Then we made our journey to our homes each of us had mixed feeling,our heart was placid we had helped innocent people at the same time we were grieving over the suffering of these people and glad to go back to our cozy homes and praying God protect us from such destruction. As the sun was setting and my sour body was relaxing I was deep in thoughts thinking how much human lives will have to pay in the name of security measures. I woke up to realize we were back to our department. After we bid each other I came home and went to my children room to see them sleeping peacefully no sign of pain on their faces. I had a strange feeling why can’t the destructors see the pain of humans??????????
