Village Journals
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
OBAT Helpers Recent Trip to Pakistan and Bangladesh
----- Original Message -----
From: Anwar Khan
Subject: My recent trip to Pakistan and Bangladesh
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:37:36 -0800 (PST)
Dear Helpers;
During my visit to Pakistan I had an opportunity to visit Balakot and
surrounding areas. As you know Balakot and Muzzafarabad are one of the most
effected areas. There are many activities in progress that will improve the
situation in the long run but they still need more help and assistance both
in the short term and long run.
Altogether there are hundreds of towns and villages that were severely
damaged or destroyed. Almost 30,000 sq km of area was affected, and the
population affected was between 3.2 million and 3.5 million. An estimated
death toll of over 73,000 and Injured over 79,000 people.
Total houses damaged or destroyed were 400,153 and almost 3.2 million to
3.5 million people have been affected by the disaster and are in need of
assistance for
Winterized shelter,
Health & Medical care,
Food and water
Education
Water & sanitation facilities
Employment and livelihood
Agriculture and livestock
OBAT Helpers is planning to help and support some local organization/s
for Shelter, Health, Medical Care, & Educational infra structure.
Immediately we are providing some help (thru Nawa-i-Waqt earthquake relief
fund) in the form of GI sheets to rebuild at least some part of their
dwellings so they will have a 'warm room' for the winter.
Trip to Bangladesh:
During this trip I visited Chittagong (Ferozshah Colony, Raufabad
Colony, Halishahar, S.B.Nagar camps), Khulna (Khalispur, Glatalla), and
other different camps in Rangpur and Saidpur. During this visit I had an
opportunity to meet with member of parliament G.M Qader brother of Gen.
Irshad former president of Bangladesh), and commissioner of Rangpur and
other officials. We discussed the issues with them and they extended their
hands of friendship and support to us. Also special thanks to SPGRC and
their executive members for helping us during the visits. I also had an
opportunity to meet some dignities (Afzal Cheema (Retired speaker and
Justice-Islamabad), Majid Nizami (Chief Editor Nanwa-i-Waqt- Lahore and
Jamiluddin Aali-Karachi) in Pakistan who are very involved and supporting
this issue since beginning and have major contributions.
We are currently working in the following different areas since Sep 2004
and it will be continued.
a) Immediate help and support to deserving families and Children
b) Improvement of living condition including water and sanitation
c) Education
Starting 2006 our major focus is to economical empowerment by providing
tools, training and finance.
We are gradually adding different cities and camps. We started with 3
camps in Rangpur, now we are able to help more than 12 camps in 5 different
cities. But we have a long way to go to cover all 66 camps in 13 different
cities of Bangladesh.
During this visit the following are the main issues covered and
planned.
Follow-up the projects completed or in progress.
Meeting with the families that has been supported.
Meeting with students that has been provided financial assistance.
Meeting with school and coaching staff in Dhaka, Chittagong, & Rangpur to provide more help and support.
Review the financial report and audited the books and details.
Started economical empowerment rickshaw project. Initial project with 20 Rickshaws.
Selected more families for financial assistance. Altogether it will be more than 70 families being helped this year.
Selected more students for scholarship and other support.
Opening a new coaching canter in Khulna.
Some new projects for bath room and sanitation in Chittagong and Khulna.
Allocated more fund for immediate health problems and surgeries.
Arrangement of Qurbani (75 goats and 15 cows) in Rangpur, Khulna, and Lilfamari.
Finalized an agreement with ISDCM (Integrated Services for the Development of Children and Mothers) to start a pilot project for economical empowerment by providing training and finance to start small business using micro-financing concept. In this pilot project initially 45 families will be selected and trained. They will be provided 5000 - 15000 taka for their business project. This may be a breakthrough to their lives, and will grow with time.
Two major issues:
1. Most of the camps schools through out Bangladesh have been closed either
due to financial reasons or the NGO operating most of these schools have
closed their camp projects. Most of camp children are not going to school
for almost a year. As an example, in Chittagong all school are closed
except one elementary school in one camp. The other 3 camps have no schools
and the population of these camps will be around 25000.
2. We have met several families in Chittagong, Khulna, and Saidpur, they
have started begging for their survival. This is some thing new coming up
due to unavailability of relief and funds since last couple years.
Some more detail and pictures will be sent to you soon.
Thanks and Regards
Anwar Khan
President
OBAT Helpers Inc.
Indiana, USA
Phone: 317 3615096
Fax: 317 8370799
email: [email protected]
web site: obathelpers.org
From: Anwar Khan
Subject: My recent trip to Pakistan and Bangladesh
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:37:36 -0800 (PST)
Dear Helpers;
During my visit to Pakistan I had an opportunity to visit Balakot and
surrounding areas. As you know Balakot and Muzzafarabad are one of the most
effected areas. There are many activities in progress that will improve the
situation in the long run but they still need more help and assistance both
in the short term and long run.
Altogether there are hundreds of towns and villages that were severely
damaged or destroyed. Almost 30,000 sq km of area was affected, and the
population affected was between 3.2 million and 3.5 million. An estimated
death toll of over 73,000 and Injured over 79,000 people.
Total houses damaged or destroyed were 400,153 and almost 3.2 million to
3.5 million people have been affected by the disaster and are in need of
assistance for
Winterized shelter,
Health & Medical care,
Food and water
Education
Water & sanitation facilities
Employment and livelihood
Agriculture and livestock
OBAT Helpers is planning to help and support some local organization/s
for Shelter, Health, Medical Care, & Educational infra structure.
Immediately we are providing some help (thru Nawa-i-Waqt earthquake relief
fund) in the form of GI sheets to rebuild at least some part of their
dwellings so they will have a 'warm room' for the winter.
Trip to Bangladesh:
During this trip I visited Chittagong (Ferozshah Colony, Raufabad
Colony, Halishahar, S.B.Nagar camps), Khulna (Khalispur, Glatalla), and
other different camps in Rangpur and Saidpur. During this visit I had an
opportunity to meet with member of parliament G.M Qader brother of Gen.
Irshad former president of Bangladesh), and commissioner of Rangpur and
other officials. We discussed the issues with them and they extended their
hands of friendship and support to us. Also special thanks to SPGRC and
their executive members for helping us during the visits. I also had an
opportunity to meet some dignities (Afzal Cheema (Retired speaker and
Justice-Islamabad), Majid Nizami (Chief Editor Nanwa-i-Waqt- Lahore and
Jamiluddin Aali-Karachi) in Pakistan who are very involved and supporting
this issue since beginning and have major contributions.
We are currently working in the following different areas since Sep 2004
and it will be continued.
a) Immediate help and support to deserving families and Children
b) Improvement of living condition including water and sanitation
c) Education
Starting 2006 our major focus is to economical empowerment by providing
tools, training and finance.
We are gradually adding different cities and camps. We started with 3
camps in Rangpur, now we are able to help more than 12 camps in 5 different
cities. But we have a long way to go to cover all 66 camps in 13 different
cities of Bangladesh.
During this visit the following are the main issues covered and
planned.
Follow-up the projects completed or in progress.
Meeting with the families that has been supported.
Meeting with students that has been provided financial assistance.
Meeting with school and coaching staff in Dhaka, Chittagong, & Rangpur to provide more help and support.
Review the financial report and audited the books and details.
Started economical empowerment rickshaw project. Initial project with 20 Rickshaws.
Selected more families for financial assistance. Altogether it will be more than 70 families being helped this year.
Selected more students for scholarship and other support.
Opening a new coaching canter in Khulna.
Some new projects for bath room and sanitation in Chittagong and Khulna.
Allocated more fund for immediate health problems and surgeries.
Arrangement of Qurbani (75 goats and 15 cows) in Rangpur, Khulna, and Lilfamari.
Finalized an agreement with ISDCM (Integrated Services for the Development of Children and Mothers) to start a pilot project for economical empowerment by providing training and finance to start small business using micro-financing concept. In this pilot project initially 45 families will be selected and trained. They will be provided 5000 - 15000 taka for their business project. This may be a breakthrough to their lives, and will grow with time.
Two major issues:
1. Most of the camps schools through out Bangladesh have been closed either
due to financial reasons or the NGO operating most of these schools have
closed their camp projects. Most of camp children are not going to school
for almost a year. As an example, in Chittagong all school are closed
except one elementary school in one camp. The other 3 camps have no schools
and the population of these camps will be around 25000.
2. We have met several families in Chittagong, Khulna, and Saidpur, they
have started begging for their survival. This is some thing new coming up
due to unavailability of relief and funds since last couple years.
Some more detail and pictures will be sent to you soon.
Thanks and Regards
Anwar Khan
President
OBAT Helpers Inc.
Indiana, USA
Phone: 317 3615096
Fax: 317 8370799
email: [email protected]
web site: obathelpers.org