Phase 2a: Providing Shelter

In the wake of the immediate tragedy and after coping with the resulting injuries, there were two things that LRBT needed to tackle in the medium term. The first was the great need for shelter, as an estimated three million people became homeless. LRBT distributed 200 tents, as well as blankets & warm jackets, before Eid-ul-Fitr in November.

With the government commandeering local tent production, and with long lead times for imported tents, LRBT decided to instead provide shelters. They chose to help 800 families in remote villages near Bagh in Azad Kashmir, where up to 80 per cent of homes had been destroyed. LRBT supplied corrugated and plain, galvanised iron sheets, while the families themselves salvaged stone, brick and wood from the rubble of their destroyed houses. These new shelters are 31ft x 11ft, a size just about adequate for housing seven people, the average family size in Azad Kashmir. They also offer reasonable protection against the cold weather. By the end of 2005, 600 shelters had been built, and the remaining 200 will be completed in January. LRBT is also distributing heavy-duty quilts, for warmth.