A month ago, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies unloaded their last truckload of relief supplies for the survivors of the October 2005 earthquake.

It marked the end of a major, nine-week "winter operation" to address the immediate shelter needs of more than 127,000 vulnerable people in remote, snow-laden areas of the North West Frontier Province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

It also signaled the end of our major relief distributions, meaning that the International Federation can now turn its full attention to the recovery and rehabilitation of Pakistan's quake-affected areas.

Of course, the Pakistan Red Crescent will continue to maintain emergency relief stocks to assist people who may be affected by future disasters, such as landslides or floods, since preparedness is one of the cornerstones of making communities safer.

But for the hundreds of thousands of people, whose lives were shattered by the 2005 quake, it is time to forge ahead in building a brighter future.

Over the past year, relief and recovery efforts have been taking place simultaneously, with more than 1.1 million people receiving assistance from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement since the disaster struck.

The International Federation is also proud to have protected tens of thousands of vulnerable people during two consecutive winters, thanks to our distribution of 70,000 emergency winterized tents, and another 35,000 "warm shelters", which can be assembled and built by survivors themselves.

It's important to note that all of this work has been done with the direct involvement of communities. We've been working very hard to involve survivors in the relief and recovery process, by listening to what they have to say, adapting our assistance accordingly and encouraging them to take the lead in rebuilding their lives. The feedback we've received indicates that this is an approach that really works.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent recently conducted a survey, which asked the survivors what types of assistance they hoped to receive over the next five years. Overwhelmingly, they said they wanted more vocational training, reflecting a strong desire to regain their livelihoods. With this in mind, the International Federation and the Pakistan Red Crescent have tailored our recovery programmes to include strong community participation and knowledge sharing.

For example, work is currently underway on a water and sanitation project that aims to provide 160,000 people with a sustainable supply of safe, clean drinking water. Already, nearly 80,000 people are benefiting from water systems that were repaired or reconstructed by the Red Cross and Red Crescent. But we've been providing much more than pipes and storage tanks - we've also been providing villagers with the skills and know-how to maintain and repair the systems themselves.

As part of the recovery programme, more than 4,000 people have already received training and advice from agricultural specialists on crop rotation and increasing harvest yields. In a region subject to long, harsh winters and heavy, summer rains, this kind of information is extremely valuable to rural farmers. In addition to the training, around 4,500 farming families have also received livelihoods assistance from the International Federation in the form of seeds and fertilizers for two crop cycles.

Quake survivors tell us this was the most important type of livelihoods help they received during the first year after the disaster.

Their voices can also be heard in the reconstruction process. While the government is helping people rebuild their homes, the Red Cross and Red Crescent is working with communities to repair over 40 public buildings, including schools, colleges, health centres, and community or vocational centres.

For example, the first public building project is a boys' degree college in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which was destroyed in the quake. Staff and students from the school were asked for their views on its reconstruction, and their input has been vital to ensuring that the design is appropriate and suits their long-term needs.

In addition to recovery efforts, disaster preparedness work is also gathering pace. Survivors of the quake are being trained to deal with future catastrophes, while disaster preparedness committees are being formed in villages across the country.

Having experienced the biggest emergency operation in its history, the Pakistan Red Crescent is also increasing its levels of experienced staff and trained volunteers at the community level.

All of these efforts are aimed at making sure that Pakistan's vulnerable communities are prepared to deal with other disasters, and ready to face whatever challenges the future may hold.