Here and there, something glints in the sun on the side of the mountain. It is almost 8,000 metal shelters that Medair distributed in the Poonch district just after the earthquake of 8th October 2005. At this height, tents would not have offered enough protection against the cold and the snow. "These people needed shelters for the winter, and so we designed these simple huts made of sheets of metal. The Kashmiris liked the concept, so we supplied them with the materials to build them i.e. 12 sheets of metal, nails, a metal ridge and a tarpaulin for each one", explains Hylton, the Country Director of Medair's programme in Pakistan. Then other NGO's took the idea up as well.

In the village of Bhangli, the houses cling to the mountainside at an altitude of 2,000 metres. You can just about make them out, hidden between the trees and the fields of maize. Medair is the only NGO to work here, just 100 km from the epicentre of the earthquake. This region suffered greatly in the aftermath of the earthquake on account of its poverty. The houses made of dried earth were destroyed and the people lost what little they had.

Below the road, four metal shelters stamped with the words Medair and ECHO are home to four families. Yasmin remembers that, "when the earthquake struck, I was outside going about my daily tasks. The walls of the house began to tremble, and I ran inside to fetch my children. Everything collapsed, and the cows which were inside died. In the space of a few minutes, we lost everything. We were crying and wondering how we were going to carry on. For a month we slept in the open. Then Medair brought us shelters, blankets, a stove and some mattresses. We would never have gotten through the winter without their help, as it snows a lot here. We have not yet been able to rebuild our houses, as we are waiting for money from the government. I hope we'll be able to do it before next winter."

Higher up, a narrow path crosses the forest and a field of maize and leads to the homes of three families. Sitting on a camp bed in front of her shelter, Razia, 45, remembers the earthquake. "I will never forget this disaster, as I lost everything in just a few minutes," she says, "My 5-year old grandson died under the rubble of our house. Medair built this shelter with the material from my old house". The internal walls have been attractively decorated by Razia's daughter, with welcoming phrases written on the wall, and garlands decorating the ceiling. For Razia, this is much more than just a temporary shelter. "When my new house is ready, I will not demolish this shelter," she says, smiling, "It has enabled me to carry on living".

At the top of the mountain, one last house offers a sweeping view of the plain and the slopes on the other side. A flag belonging to one of the political parties and a few small posters remind us that the district elections took place recently. A woman is crouched over her washing board, and is hanging the clothes on the bushes to dry. The red and orange scarves contrast strikingly with the bright green of the grass.

Fourteen people, a cow and a calf live here in three shelters and one hut made out of dried earth. Three young girls crouch in front of the hearth making chapattis for the men who are sitting on a camp bed enjoying peppers and yoghurt. It is dark in the living area, and the smell of the animals mixes with the smell of the smoke. "I was cooking in front of the house when the earthquake struck. My daughter was inside, and two of her ribs were broken" explains Jamman, 43. The house collapsed on top of our two cows, and over the next few days we buried my brother's wife and daughter. We cried all the time, we felt completely lost, and we even forgot to eat. We slept outside under the stars for a month. Then Medair gave us shelters, blankets, soap and a new cow. Medair saved our lives, they are the only ones to come right out here! The government gave us money to rebuild a house, but Medair did much more for us, and made it possible for us to start living again!

Text and pictures: Odile Meylan

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Medair's activities in Pakistan are supported with the assistance of ZOA Refugee care, Red een Kind, Dorcas Aid, Tearfund NZ, EO Metterdaad and Woord en Daad. However, Medair's life-saving activities are also dependent upon private financial donation. To contribute to this work, please visit http://www.medair.org/

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Founded in 1988, Medair is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) independent of any political, economic, social or religious authority. Its international headquarters are based in Switzerland. Its mission is exclusively humanitarian and it accomplishes its work in a spirit of dedication and solidarity, inspired by its Christian values.

Medair's objectives are to respond to suffering victims in war and disaster situations (especially those which have been forgotten or neglected) through various kinds of emergency and rehabilitative projects.

Medair employs 50 people in Switzerland, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Holland. In the field, 120 full-time expatriates help populations in difficulty, with the support of 1600 local employees.

The organisation has obtained the ISO 9001 certification at world wide level for its quality management system.

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