Pakistan/India Earthquake Relief Update:
Finishing Up Phase One

        February 9, 2006: On constant alert at any hour of the day or night, Millennium partners at three separate base camps have met with nonstop logistical challenges. Due to the scale and urgency of this effort to build shelters in the most remote villages devastated by the October 8 earthquake, they worked under tremendous pressure to train teams, receive supplies, and coordinate efforts with others on the ground.

        For three months they were charged with organizing the flow of over 300 volunteers and countless loads of supplies winding their way through the mountainous region. By the end of phase one our teams were able to manufacture and place over 6,000 emergency winter shelters.
 

        Approaches in logistics between town to base camp and base camp to mountain village ranged from helicopters, jeeps, manpower and mule-trains. Transportation was not the only concern facing our volunteers. In places that have not traditionally accepted foreign aid, our workers found that they were welcomed with open arms. As a result of these collaborative efforts, conservative estimates report that more than 36,000 people were provided with shelter in time to protect them from winter snows.

        As construction of another 2,600 shelters is currently underway, plans for phase two are beginning. Building on relationships created in phase one, teams are now partnering with these villages as they transition to long-term development needs. The communities reached by this project include some of the most isolated regions affected by the earthquake, and Millennium remains one of the few organizations in a position to reach out to them. In phase two, as winter begins to thaw, our teams will be able to assist the villagers as they begin to put their homes and lives back together.

        December 15, 2005:  Two months after the catastrophic earthquake in Northern India and Pakistan, Millennium and its partners are actively engaged in producing and deploying shelters in the more remote, mountainous areas in this region.  One of the local UN representatives advised us that their concern is for the people who stay in their villages and do not come down into the valleys for the winter.  With four base camps, we are one of a very small number of NGOs addressing the need for shelter in these isolated areas.  In the areas in which we are currently working we are the only shelter organization present.

        In a race against time, we are training and directing an international cadre of volunteers and local people, as well as working with three other NGOs to get the shelters in place before the snows block access to the mountain villages.  About 300 volunteers have assisted us in the past six weeks.  There are currently 150 volunteers in country.  Many people have helped out and returned home; others are on their way to spend a few weeks working in any and all phases of the project.

        We continue to acquire materials, manufacture, deliver and assemble the shelters, all the while training others to help in all aspects of the project so we can meet as much of the need as possible.  We are on our way to reaching the 2000 mark in shelter production.

        One local government official told our team how glad he was that our organization was not like so many others that did not know what to do.  They just came in, took pictures and left.  He was encouraged by our people who saw the need, settled in, and got their hands dirty.

        Our thanks go to the many donors who have supported this project, and to the volunteers who have worked tirelessly to provide shelter.  Without you we would not have been able to get our hands dirty.

Millennium Partners Take Action to
Aid Survivors of the Pakistan-India Earthquake

Shelters a Must if Quake Victims to Survive Winter

        November 9, 2005: Thirty days after the catastrophic earthquake in Pakistan, the focus is on getting shelters in place for the 3 million men, women and children who have been left homeless. Without adequate shelter people will not survive the winter in this mountainous region.

        Speaking to the enormous needs in the area the U.N. says “The job is colossal, but… it’s a doable job.”

        Millennium and its partners have remained focused on what we can do to help alleviate the need for shelter:

• Besides designing, manufacturing and delivering shelters, our group is supplying over 500 shelters to other NGOs.

• More equipment is due to arrive soon and will increase production of the shelter components.

• Two men volunteered to assist with our project and have just arrived in country.

• Another group of volunteers is scheduled to arrive in the next week or two.

• Time is not on our side as winter is fast approaching!

• Donate Now to help get safe shelters to the earthquake victims before roads become impassable. If we all join together this is doable!

Millennium Focuses on Desperate Need for Shelter
in Mountains of Pakistan and India

        October 28, 2005: The deadly earthquake that struck on October 8, 2005 has killed over 55,000 people. It destroyed thousands of homes, schools and businesses in and around the Kashmir area of India and Pakistan. Millions are left homeless, wondering where they will find shelter. In one village in northern India every building was damaged and all 140 homes utterly destroyed. Here the earthquake claimed only eight lives but many more people were injured.

        The villagers are salvaging what they can and building temporary shelters. In the mountains shelter is a must. It is not yet winter and already some people are coming down with pneumonia and other illnesses associated with exposure to the cold. The needs that must be met before the harsh Himalayan winter sets in are truly daunting.

        Millennium and our partner teams are working around the clock in many parts of the world to send and deploy sturdy structures, like the one pictured here. As the demand for tents may outstrip the current supply, alternatives are needed. The shelters must be portable, easy to set up and able to withstand the elements. In this particular village we were asked to set up a temporary school.

        The young man in these pictures is the village school teacher. Like his neighbors, his life was impacted by the earthquake and his school was reduced to rubble. But this dedicated teacher is determined to bring his students back to the classroom and give structure to their lives. When our team set up this temporary school it suddenly became possible for children to resume their lessons. With the return to familiar routines we hope they can feel safe and cared for once again.

This dedicated teacher sits in the rubble that was the village school.

As the new school takes shape
students and teacher can think about the future.

        Winter snow will soon become a reality in these devastated mountain towns and villages. Millennium and its partners are determined to get as many of these structures in place as soon as possible so people have a safe place to live and work as they begin to rebuild.

        If you can help with this effort please do so without delay. The winter storms do not wait until people have shelter, they will begin to blow in the next few weeks.

        Please click on Donate Now to bring families closer to the refuge they need to survive.

        October 10, 2005: MRDS and affiliate teams are presently serving victims of the 8 October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and India. Prior to the earthquake in Kashmir and North Pakistan, these teams were living in nearby areas working on community development projects. For this reason, they are positioned to help now.

        Just three days after the disaster, the media is reporting that countless thousands have died, and over two million people are now homeless. A large number of these homeless men, women and children are in mountainous areas, which will soon become bitterly cold with the onset of winter.

        Teams are in place surveying needs at the time of this writing. One of the most pressing needs is for shelter. Our teams are busy exploring appropriate shelter solutions with local communities.
 

        After immediate disaster relief, the process of long-term recovery will commence. Consistent with our ethos, we will serve with local communities years into the future.

A woman and her son stare out from the wreckage of their home as they try to salvage what they can before they leave for

a safe shelter.

A young mother and her two children

set up a makeshift shelter near their damaged home in India, not far from

the epicenter of earthquake.

        MRDS is accepting donations in support of the immediate disaster response and long-term recovery for victims of this devastating earthquake.

Click here to help now.

(Note: The photos on this page were taken by teams in the region)