Untitled - Sindh Community Foundation (SCF)

eviving the displacedStories of ChangeSindh Community Foundation - SCFAll Rights reserved 2012

CreditsCase Studies written by:Jan KhaskheliPhotography:Irum Ali, Ghafoor Ahmed, Tariq Mangrio, Niaz MuhammadDesigned by:Rabail AzizPublished by:Media & Publication Unit - SCF

ContentsForward 2Introduction 3A community profile 4Case Studies(1) Hajran's changing life 5(2) Meeran Bai wants to make her dreams true 6(3) Jamal Khatoon's colorful rali 7(4) Tale of artisan woman Shabana 8(5) Making trouser cords and hair ornaments 9(6) Community water tanks 10(7) Skilled Kubra optimistic about future 11(8) Thakur Village 12(9) Brick soling with community participation 13(10) Sikiladho Machhi culvert 14

2Fighting poverty togetherI am pleased to share some case studies designed by Sindh CommunityFoundation (SCF) team during our implementation of the UNDP’s EarlyRecovery Project in Jamshoro district’s riverine areas. SCF through itslivelihood project for the communities supported 2100 women in 31villages of the district, donated them sewing machines, seed material andgoats, aiming to provide the artisan women access to livelihoods. Almostall the families belong to traditional farmer communities.This was hard field where the communities faced difficulties afterreturning back as they had lost each and everything. The flood washedaway everything, leaving them in helpless situation to face vulnerability.SCF team identified deserving families, specially vulnerable women. Inthe project 1000 women had been given sewing machines, 500 womengot goats, 300 women got seed material, 300 other women householdswere benefitted by establishing kitchen gardens. The purpose of donatingsuch items was to help these families so they may resume their livelihoodactivities and come out of stress. Kitchen gardens are inspiring schemesfor the women to keep them safe with having free of cost vegetables.Because, after the flood devastation, food insecurity was major problemfor these families. Now at least they can have vegetable to avoid fear offood insecurity.Men and women work together in the fields. After this initiative SCFbelieves that women may contribute little to ease their families. In thisregard, it was learnt that especially elder women are unable to work infields due to their deteriorating health conditions. They have been givenseed material to prepare ralis, keeping themselves engaged in theirtraditional atmosphere.Keeping in mind the vulnerability of the community, SCF also benefittedthe community with launching 40 physical and infrastructure schemes,Reviving the Displacedincluding building brick roads, washing pads, water storage tanks, culverts,installed hand pumps and initiated water supply schemes. The projectbenefitted 13176 people in the identified flood affected areas. Through thispresently, 10036 people have access to safe drinking water and enjoying aprotected life there. Earlier, these beneficiaries used to travel long distancetwice or thrice a day to fetch water. Similar was the problem facing the peoplewho had makeshift water tanks.Later when we visited the area, talked to the beneficiaries as how they werefeeling and the impressions were inspiring for us. These case studies areindicators of our work, identifying the deserving women. There are wellskilledwomen, who have conventional art, which we want to modify, linkingand introducing them to the market so they may earn little more and live withdignity.We wanted to shift their skill as per the industrial development by linkingthem to the market to lessen their pressure of poverty and promote theirtalent. We have convinced these women to continue their traditional work, asthere is big market for these artful products.Javed HussainExecutive Director

IntroductionSindh Community Foundation (SCF) in collaboration with UNDP in itsearly recovery project has supported 1000 women in 31 riverine villagesof District Jamshoro. The SCF in its target area has donated sewingmachines and seed material to skilled women and small animals to thepoor and vulnerable women households to ease their lives. Apart fromthat SCF has also built culverts, water storage facilities, washing pads,installed hand pumps to help these people. The activities were designedas per rules and strategies to identify the deserving households living invulnerable situation. Thirty years back it was the forest covered area,which now is being cultivated.Beneficiaries of the intervention belong to farmer families, Muslims andHindus living together peacefully. They are traditional farmers and eachfamily males and females work jointly in fields. Since they are poor they donot have any politics and religious difference with each other. They havedifferent kinds of work except field work. However, women in the riverinevillages have traditional skills they learned from their mothers andgrandmothers, which now they take as an alternative source of income.Before disaster they used to live a safe life. The area elders recall blissful daysthey spent long ago when it was safe area and families would live comfortably.There was more easy life, with natural resources all around. They neverimagined experiencing such a horrible situation like they faced during theflood in Indus-2010. These case studies portray the impacts of little help onthe communities.Reviving the Displaced3

A community profileNo place to call home: The nomads of SindhThe life of marginalized Hindu families living in the SCF-targeted areaTeejo Kolhi, son of Moro Kolhi, still vividly remembers the frighteningmoments when the Ahmadabad earthquake (Gujarat, India) jolted partsof the Thar region in Pakistan in 2001. After the earthquake, Kolhi wasforced to abandon Tharparkar, the place of his birth, and shift to a villagenear Matli in the Badin district.Since then, his family regularly migrates in search of safety andlivelihood. The father of 10 children, he is presently living in the famousriver-side village of Thakur Singh in the Jamshoro district. The area,which was covered by thick forests some 30 years ago, has now beencleared for cultivation.There are around four small settlements of Dalit farmers located near thevillage of Thakur Singh, and they comprise families that shifted to thearea from elsewhere. All of these people have had bitter experiences withdisasters, displacement and migration. They all demand that they begiven a separate village or colony where they can live a protected life.Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) in collaboration with UNDP in itsearly recovery project has supported 54 women in Thakur Singh villageout of total 1000 beneficiaries in 31 villages in Jamshoro district. SCF hasdonated 39 sewing machines and 15 goats to the deserving women in thecommunity.Natho Bagri, a Bhajan singer, said: “We collect wood to build ordinaryshelters, but we are sometimes forced to abandon our shelters on a singlewarning. The landlords have no respect for our children, women andtemples, which we build for worship. Since we are poor and untouchable,our children are not even accepted in school.”Bagri says he visits the temple on a daily basis, where he lights a vigil toworship. He openly invites all the Hindu communities belonging todifferent tribes to participate with him in religious observation. He hascopies of Geeta (a Hindu religious book) in Hindi, Urdu and Sindhi. Hebelieves he has good reasons to be living in fear, as he is part of a lowcastefamily. The father of eight children, Natho was born in a shantyoutside Matiari Town. He cultivates vegetables for a profession, atradition that has been observed for generations in his family.Bhuro Thakur, father of seven children, was born to a landless family inthe village near Khipro town in the Sanghar district. He says he has lost countof the amount of times that he has been displaced and has had to travel fromone village to another. He too is presently living in the Thakur village, thoughhe says none of the families living there were certain about how long theyhave before they were forced to move again. “Whenever the landlords want,they can compel us to leave his land instantly.”The tale he was narrating is made all the worse because of the conditionsunder which these families are forced to leave the land: a large majority ofthem, being farmers by profession, cultivate crops on the land that they liveon. Despite their hard work, they are only given a meager share of the profitsfrom the agricultural produce and can be evicted from the land by thelandlord without any prior notice. He says his family shifted to Mirpurkhasfrom Khipro, where they spent two to three years in different areas, afterwhich they began moving along the river side area when the forest wascleared some 15 years back.When the 2010 floods hit, Thakur shifted back to Mirpurkhas. He stayedthere for a year, cultivating agriculture on a landlord's property. However,Mirpurkhas was also completely inundated during the 2011 floods, leavingThakur with only one option: to leave Mirpurkhas and return to the river-sidevillage.As the flood had destroyed their makeshift abodes and washed away all theirbelongings, the families had to rebuild their shelters before they could livethere again. Bhuro Thakur leads 37 families of his tribe and has been giventhe status of the panchayat head. He said that presently, there were 22 familiesliving in the Thakur village.Leela, wife of Shankar Lal, claims to have built a temple in her newsettlement. Leela's family was settled in Thakur village but after the flood theyshifted to another piece of land for cultivation. The family has earned respectbecause of their devotion to building and taking care of temples. Eachsettlement has its own makeshift temple where families gather for religiousoccasions. Despite being peaceful, they are a people that are still in the gripsof uncertainty, which, they say, has been haunting them for years.4Reviving the Displaced

Hajran's changing lifeIt is an inherent talent the forest community women enjoy at theirsprawling courtyards with greenery all around. Children play with eachother and learn different skills on their own while wandering afteranimals in grazing fields. Girls as usual utilize free times purposefully bysitting with elder women, who break the silence with the rhythmicwedding songs while using needle work. They give a beautiful touch tostitch their dreams while using colorful threads. All the elder householdwomen have the same answer, linking their life with habits of birds,which leave nests earlier and return after sunset.“It depends on the season of crops. We leave homes for grass cutting,wheat harvesting, picking cotton and collecting fuel wood and cow dungfrom the forest tracks. We help males in different works. Some womenwalk whole the day after herds. After cooking food, taking care ofchildren and animals we spare some time to sit together,” said HajranCharo, residing inthe riverine villageKhabar Charo,union councilManjhand,Jamshoro district.Sitting underwooden shelter orthick trees all thewomen can be seenbusy in their work.The village locatedhardly a kilometeraway from themain stream of themighty river Indus.Hajran Charo-- now widow and the mother of a 13-year old boyShahdad-- said her husband Ameer Bakhsh (wood cutter) died whileaccidently fallen down from his camel, carrying wood from jungle goingto nearby town some six years back. Now she lives with her in-laws,taking care of her only son, who is studying in class IV at the village mosqueschool. She had a sewing machine, which the devastated flood-2010 washedaway with all family belongings. Since then she was in trouble, sitting idle athome. However, Hajran Charo accredited to Sindh Community Foundation(SCF), which donated a sewing machine to her with 10 other vulnerablewomen in the same locality. She takes it blessing to ease her life again.Living in a village comprising 46-households with a joint family, she said“when flood came we lost all assets available in house except animals.”The village people started their life with building wooden and mud sheltersfor families and animals. But women, who have lost their artisan tools, werefacing hardships while living idle at homes and wanted to utilize free time.Despite the fact forest community people are vulnerable to face floods; theyhave valid reason to stay there, as many of them have big herds which theycannot shift with their families out of the woodlands.Women artisans used to produce beautiful items, using raw material availablenear their abodes in seasons. They are familiar with an internal marketsystem.Hajran keeps herself busy to live with dignity earning Rs100300 daily;depending on the work she receives from neighboring women. She preparesdresses of females and children. She is optimistic to see her son educated,stitching dreams whole the day.She was younger child among the fivetwo brothers and three sisters-- to herparents. Recalling the past, she said during her childhood she experiencedfloods in the monsoon season and saw how their families used to shift tomounds near, staying for few days there. But the recent river flood forced theentire families to travel seven kilometer to live at hilly areas. She feels happyto guide relative girls to shift her skill to them. However, she said the suitabletime for more production is summer season, the big days. In herunderstanding, winter season is not favorable in terms of producing more.“I have to learn more designs to find better market in nearby towns.Definitely, for this I have to work hard to buy raw material myself to expandthe work,” she replied.Reviving the Displaced5

6Meeran Bai wants make her dreams trueFamilies living in riverine Thakur Singh village have a differentdisplacement. We heard that some people have come back while others arebackground, migrating from one place to the other in search of better still living in different areas.”livelihood. Bhuro Thakur, the village chieftain himself was born to aHer children were playing at wide courtyards without any demarcation offarmer family in Khipro, Sanghar district. The families shifted to thisplots in the locality and she was busy in her work. Sharing day-long work,village 15 years back when the forest was depleted and landlords were she said: “I help my husband in field work. I cut grass and collect fuel wood.looking for farmers to clean and cultivate the lands. However, the flood- When return back I cook food for family members and take care of children.2010 displaced them; washed away everything was available in their I hardly can spare time to stitch clothes to keep myself busy.”abodes. Some families finding no better option instantly shifted to the These farmer families consider animals an alternative source of income. Shearea close to Mirpurkhas city. They stayed there for one year but again said when they shifted to safe places when the flood hit them they had lostthe similar disaster hit them hard there, forced them to return back to the everything except three goats. These animals are valuable assets, which wesame village, Thakur Singh.sell to meet needs.Meeran Bai, wife of a farmer Gemro Kolhi, has experienced the similar Describing her skill, she said: “I can prepare at least two simple dresses daily.difficulty. Living in makeshift abode, she said when the river flood hit It is up to time I can spare during the long-day work at home and in thetheir area she had lost everything available at her abode. “I had one oldfield.”sewing machine that I was gifted by some relatives on the occasion of She is the mother of three children, all illiterate, because there is no schoolmarriage. I used to stitch clothes, earning little amount but I lost it in the nearer to them. She is still eager to see her children educated. “I haveflood. Since then I was sitting idle at home,” she narrates the agonizingdreams like other mothers to see my children going to school and live in safeatmosphere.”experience.Now she was looking happy as Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) hasdonated a sewing machine to her to live a safe life and utilize the timepurposefully. She is among five beneficiaries in the Thakur Singh village,comprising 22 households, almost all poor farmers. Before the floodthere were 37 families, which shifted to different areas and few of themhave not returned, so far.“This machine can be helpful for me to earn little amount to ease myfamily. I am looking ahead to have raw material to prepare dresses herefor market,” she said confidently.“Presently, I sew clothes of my own children and family members to savethe cost of stitching,” she said. Recalling the past, she said, “gone are thedays when people from neighboring families used to travel little distanceto handover their clothes to me for dress preparation. Everybody eitherseems to have been under stress or still living away since theReviving the Displaced

Jamal Khatoon's colorful raliJamal Khatoon, a widow was stitching smaller pieces of old clothes withneedle to make a flower of colorful rags. In her understanding smallerwintering days are not favorable for their work. “Since it is smaller day wedo not work for more time. Summer season is more productive for theskilled women. I need full day to complete a single rali,” she describes.Basically the village is inside the forest. But since there is no forest, theentire culture has been changed. She is the mother of nine-- six daughtersand three sons-- living in a joint family in the riverine village KhabarCharo, union council Manjhand, Jamshorodistrict.“Since we live together all the women workjointly. When I start making rali, otherwomen also join to help me. This is helpfulfor me to complete item within a limitedtime. Otherwise, it takes more days,” shesaid.Recalling the past blissful days, she says “Iused to sit together with my grandmotherduring my childhood to learn how to useneedle. It was the first experience I got andthen I became helping hand for mygrandmother.”“Like other village women we used to takeold clothes to make it useful in free timeslong ago. But after the displacement we donot have old clothes to use,” said Khatoon, whose husband Jhangali diedafter the flood displaced them. They spent two months out, distantlyfrom their native village. When they returned home they saw wiped outhouses, mounds of debris all around. They started life at debris.She accredited to Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) for donating herseed material, clothes, threads, and seizer to prepare ralies, which wecan make easily. She is among 10 beneficiaries of SCF, which helped theskilled women considering they may resume their livelihood activities afterfacing the huge loss.Showing her work she said: “I have made some ralies with variety of designs,some of which I have kept to present as gift to my sons and daughters onthe occasion of their weddings. Others I have kept for our family's use,” shesaid.Sharing her day-long traditional schedule, she said: “I get up early in themorning to milk cows and buffaloes, helping our family's males. Thenprepare breakfast. Visiting field daily is alsoin my routine to see if our males need anyhelp there. Collecting fodder and fuel woodis the responsibility of women. Therefore welive a busy life whole day.”She justified that making rali is the job of oldwomen who do not work in the field. Aftercertain time of life the old women usually sitidle at homes. They need to keep themselvesengaged in work. Hence preparing rali isbetter activity they can perform from dawnto dusk.Those skilled women work in the fields takemore days to complete a single rali. Theyspare time rarely for this specific work. Theirproduction in specific work depends on time.Sometimes it takes two months to completea rali with design. Otherwise, a simple ralitakes few days to complete.“Long ago we had old clothes to make them useful in rali. But now peopleprefer to buy small pieces of new colorful clothes from market and use thesame in the item. Obviously, in this specific work we cannot earn enough. Ifwe have market mechanism we may produce variety of designs and earnmore amounts,” she explains. However, she was optimistic to use thematerial purposefully and find better market of her work.Reviving the Displaced7

Tale of artisan woman ShabanaSobdar Zardari Village is home to artisan women. Though males havealso different skills, the locality is famous in the vicinity because of wellskilledartisan women, producing variety of handmade items by usingneedle and colorful threads. Shabana Zardari is among the well-skilledwomen, who can prepare ralies and embroidery work, competently. Shespends more time in her traditional work, which she said, supports torun her family affairs. These traditional women invest more time becausethey can arrange raw material, used clothes, easily.Shabana, the wife of small landholder Dildar Zardari, said some yearsback males used to take their products for sell in urban markets. But nowall women themselves have developed links to town markets for sellingtheir products and buy raw material during their frequent trips to towns.In her understanding Hyderabad is attractive market for handmadeitems.However, she said the flood washed away everything and they werefacing difficulties, thinking how to resume traditional work. Sheaccredited Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) for donating seedmaterial to them. Now she was looking happy to start her life effectively.She uses more time in work.“We had more ready-made items and raw material, which all we lostduring the flood,” she said, adding that “now definitely it will take time tobridge the gap.” Showing a designed rali, she said: “I have completed thisrali from donated material and saved some clothes to use for preparinganother item.”Sharing her experience, she said traditional melas at shrines of Sufi Saintsare considered attractive markets for these handmade items. Specially,during annual urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in Matiari district andQalandar Lal Shahbaz in Sehwan, Jamshoro district they prepare moreitems on the demand of shopkeepers.“All skilled women count days and know well, which season is moreproductive for them,” she said.The villagers, comprising 42 households, mostly relatives, have beenliving together through generations. Women are strongly committed totraditional values set long ago by their ancestors. Old women prepare ralies byusing old clothes, while young girls have different works ranging fromstitching and embroidery to making decorated items. Cost of a simple rali isranging from Rs500 to Rs1500 while with design its cost is Rs5000, dependingon labor and material. If work is shining it costs more as compared to the onesimple made item.They realize the fact that middlemen exploit them through lending amount inadvance and provide seed material. Because, in return artisans are bound tohandover prepared items to them (middle men) on fixed rates. “Now we arelooking options to deal with shopkeepers and wholesale marketers ourselvesto earn more,” Shabana said.She said earlier rali did not have market value and women used to make otheritems for markets. But now shopkeepers and urban clients demand supplyingbeautifully made ralies. That is why many of them-- who were reluctant tomake ralis earlier--now are seen active to make this item to meet the marketsdemand.About their work in field, she said, “we have got realized our males throughour work and earnings. Now we enjoy relaxation and do work whatever wewant. We contribute enough to ease our families at home.”About the gifts of seed material andassets they have been donated bySCF, she said “it was helpful tocontinue our livelihood at thisdifficult time. After this help we areable to produce something to earnlittle. Otherwise, we were in troublefor several months after returningback from relief camps.”She was proud about the friendlyapproach of their males, who alwaysencourage them to continue theirwork and enjoy freedom there. Thishas made them more productive,preparing items timely for market.8Reviving the Displaced

Making trouser cords and hair ornamentsGhulam Hussain, the father of deaf and dumb girl Naziran is proud to seethe immeasurable work doing his daughter. All the senior artisan women ofthe village appreciate her work, terming her hand clean. The young girlprepares different items, mostly trouser cords and hair ornaments, whichhave a value in the local and urban market.Naziran, a daughter of farmer, belongs to Village Sobdar Zardari usuallykeeps herself busy for whole day in specific work. Her conscious father hasmade it clear to the family members not to ask the girl for doing domesticwork. Hence, all family members encourage her to do whatever she wants.And this is why she has taken it as hobby and earns little amount for her fulldaywork.According to artisan women, making trouser cords and hair ornamentsneed skill, proper care and artful hands, which the girl prepares by workingfor fourfive hours daily. She can prepare six to ten trouser cords and hairornaments daily. Calculating cost they say she can save Rs10 on each item,earning around Rs100-200 daily, depending on her will how much time shecan spare for this particular work.She is unmarried and her parents were not sure about her future, thinkinghow she would continue the life. However, she has a sharp mind tounderstand and follow the same efficiently. That is why she is famous withher work in the entire neighborhood. Women from nearby localities visitthe locality frequently and give orders to Naziran for preparing such items.Naziran is among beneficiaries, who have been donated seed material bySindh Community Foundation (SCF) to live a protected life after the flooddevastation. Though more girls prepare these items, Naziran is said to bemore productive as she produces variety of items, keeping market demandin her fresh mind.The village of artisan families comprises of 42 households. Males cultivatetheir pieces of family lands while females have their different voluntaryworks; they perform at home and help males in fields. For the works in fieldthey do not take wages, as it is the responsibility of the farmer families.However, being skilled, males and females utilize their free times purposefully athome. That is why nobody from the village is jobless. They have traditionalsystem in which females help their males in fields, especially during harvestseason. Otherwise, women feel free to do their work without any pressure.Parents are not worry about their sons or daughters because they learn skillsthemselves and utilize the same to ease their own family life. Males are masons,building their own makeshift abodes with mud and wood. Living in forests andriverine area since generations they have traditional lifestyle. Keeping animals isbetter source of earning. They have free milk and butter.About market mechanism, they say, if a woman artisan is paid Rs 1200, she canearn Rs1000 as profit by making Rs2200. Despite price hike, they feel easy, livinga happy life in their traditional system.Reviving the Displaced9

Community Water TanksVillage Nazar Mohammed Khoso, located close to Indus Highway, has a houses or work with their parents in the field. Similar is the status of healthhistory that the residents did not have water facility. Comprising 30 facility, as people have to pay enough shares of earnings for taking somebody tohouseholds, mostly belong to the same community, they have born and hospital in emergency.grown there. Since their childhood they have never experienced to haveSome community people have water tankers, which they operate commercially,sweet water in the rocky village, as underground water has becomesupplying water to the local families. Whenever they see water tank decliningcontaminated.they call tankerSardar Ali son of Nazar Mohammed, a farmer recalling the past said, 10 operators, whoyears back the village got water supply scheme by the government from supply water themneighboring Manjhand Town. But after few months the scheme went in instantly.doldrums. The reason they could not ascertained, so far. Since then theySardar Ali could notdepend on rain water or purchase water through private water tankers,understand thewhich they used to store in makeshift tanks available adjacent to the locality.reason as so whythe problem they used to face was wastage of water through seepages.underground waterSardar Ali was looking optimistic as Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) near the locality ishas built three cemented water tanks, each for 10 families. Now community contaminated. “Yespeople buy water through water tankers, store in cemented tanks and use it we are living nearjointly. He said for each tanker they pay Rs1000-1500, which is enough for the river Indus10 families, for seven days. The dwellers use water for both, domestic through forefathers.purposes and for their animals.Our elders informedSardar Ali is the father of 10 children, all illiterate. He has three acres familyus that there wereland, which he cultivates. He goes to field early in the morning and returnswells and peoplehome in the evening. It depends on time the villagers use for work.used to live a safe lifewith more water. But we could not see sweet water here.”Women have different works there. They have earthen jars and livecarelessly. There was no concept of boiling water for drinking or cooking.“We are convincing village people to further work on self help basis to buildBut now after attending awareness sessions they have realized how water incover of the tank to keep water safe. I do not know how much timer it will take,the open tank could be harmful for the health of their children.but I am sure we will do it soon,” he said.Village School has been non-functional for the last several years becauseteacher is reluctant to come regularly. Hence, some aware parents send theirchildren to neighboring village schools to save future of their children.While majority of school-aged children stays back, sitting idle at their10Reviving the Displaced

Skilled Kubra optimistic about futureWomen were busy in beating wet Sar grass (Phragmitis Karka) to make athin rope used in making baskets and charpai weaving. All the familiesfinding no better alternative have resumed the old work of rope making toearn little amount to support their families. The peopleliving in donated tents are trying themselves to live asafe life after displacement.Dwellers earlier had a village located close to Riverbank. After the flood they shifted out and then theychosen a suitable mound at the bank of controversialRight Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD), hardly twokilometer from their original hamlet.RBOD flows closeto the existing locality. That is why people fear, the drainmay bring flood again.Males travel long distance to their fields while womenhave chosen their work they learned long ago. Livingunder a clothing tents and makeshift abodes, fencedwith thorny bushes, the families still feel unsafe,because of poverty.Making a thin rope from particular Sar grass, whichskilled women buy from markets, was the main sourceof income for them some 30 years back. Later, they leftthe old work and helped their male members in thefields and looked after the livestock. They were living ahappy life, but the flood wreaked havoc and broughtdestruction with it. With no other option left, thecommunity people, especially women again startedmaking ropes and also shifted this talent to their minorgirls.Kubra, daughter of Abdul Wahid said that earlier, theraw material was available at nominal rates in the local market, but nowlocal traders supply it to them on increased rates, which is approximatelyRs500-600 per mound. “This amount is too much for us and we are finding ithard to make ends meet, but in these difficult days it is the only expertise thevillage women have, otherwise we might have died due to hunger and poverty,”she added.The skilled women make 15 to 20 kg of rope from a mound ofgrass, which they sell to the local market. It is up to the skill andwork, but usually each woman can make two to four kg of rope ona daily basis. The village elders say it was the third place theychosen to live safely, but still are seen frightened. SindhCommunity Foundation (SCF), realizing the vulnerability of thecommunity donated goats and seed material to the skilledwomen. Kubra daughter of Abdul Wahid is also among thebeneficiaries, who have got donated seed material from SCF.Kubra says: “Making rope is hard work, hence doing needle workwill be better for us to help our families at this difficult time.Earlier, we were facing difficulties but now feel easy to continuelife with little help. I spare few hours to do needle work to preparedifferent items for market.”She knows how the area people used to approach them forstitching their clothes, do embroidery with variety of designs onhappy occasions. She is optimistic to live a protected life again.She said now hardly few women travel long distance to work infields, helping their males. Otherwise, majority of women stays athome, do different kinds of works, facing tough time. “We do notgo to field and work at home. Our elders found this place safeafter displacement and have shifted to live here,” she said, whileworking to prepare embroidery item.Reviving the Displaced11

12Thakur VillageChildren in a small Thakur Village were playing in front of their makeshiftabodes located at the safe mound, as their parents had gone to their work atagriculture field. It is routine for the poor farmer families that they leavehome earlier for day-long work and return before or after sunset,depending on their nature of work. Minor children seemed to becustodians, stay entire day and play near there, not far from their abodes.The village is located near Budhapur, a main trade center for the riverinecommunities. River flows three kilometers away from this small locality,comprising 14 houses, all landless farmers. The community elders havejustification of working jointly with all family members in field, calling itonly way out to survive.Walji Kolhi, father of five children, said: “Being poor we all family membersexcept minor children work jointly for full-day in the field, as we believenobody comes for our rescue in difficult time”.“Minor children back at home are widely awake to take care of their youngerbrothers and sisters, when their elders move to their work,” he said.Women cook food in the morning, leave little stuff for children, which theytake whenever feel hunger. Parents are willing to enroll their children toschool located distantly in another village but being frightened they werereluctant to approach school administration. Being living in isolation thecommunity never realized that government could do something forbrightening the future of their children by opening of school near there. Itseemed as if nothing was happening with them. In result all the childrenstay idle at home, take care of their younger brothers and sisters.These people have traditional expertise to cultivate tomato and otherseasonal vegetables. They neither rely on middlemen nor take it to marketfor sell. Women take product on their head; visit door-to-door for sell inneighbouring localities, as these women have traditional skill how to dealwith their clients in villages. The problem they were facing wasunavailability of sweet water in the locality. Women and children used totravel two-kilometer distance to fetch water twice or thrice daily.Reviving the DisplacedSindh Community Foundation (SCF) has donated a hand pump to the villagecommunity, which they take as blessing in this difficult time. They accredit SCFfor providing this facility, which at least has saved their time. Otherwise, theyused to travel for fetching water twice or thrice daily.They have experienced heavy rains and floods repeatedly, but say the recentdisaster put them most vulnerable. The flood-2010 displaced them. They spenttwo months in safer places and survived on donated food items.Walji Kolhi, who has 40 years working experience in fields, recalling old days,said: “We demanded concerned authorities repeatedly for getting water andother facilities here but all went in vain. Nobody from the government officialsever bothered to pay heed towards our demands and need. In result we alwaysfelt unsafe in terms of water and other development initiatives.”“After getting this facility our women feel easy as they do not travel toneighboring villages for getting water. We use the facility jointly,” he said.SCF during awareness raising sessions made them realized to enroll theirchildren in school located near their so they may change their family's life. “Yeswe should do this to protect future of our children,” Kolhi said.

Brick Soling with community participationResidents of Budhapur, riverine village never imagined to see little changeso they may live protected life, because the devastated flood had put them indifficulties. The flood hit them hard to leave their abodes in emergency.They shifted their families to safer places. When they returned backeverybody was afraid of living unsafe life, because the flood destroyedshelters, roads and inundated streets. Stagnant water was standing there allaround for several months.Abdullah Shoro son of Mato Shoro, a farmer said: “It is difficult for me toshare the sufferings during our displacement and after returning back.Flood inundated all three main entrances to the village, pushed us to stayaway from houses. We returned back but saw major routes inundated. Wethought sometimes to take initiative on self-help basis but failed.”Heaving a sigh of relief, he said, “When a team of Sindh Community Foundation(SCF) came to discuss us how to resolve the issue, we put road on priority tobuild it instantly if possible. In the meantime community elders also realized towork together for resolving that major problem, all the residents were facing.”Following joint decision, the community contributed to fill the gap on self helpbasis with earth filling and the SCF team bought bricks and engaged masons tobuild road. The locality comprises of 250 houses, where residents say they neverexperienced such disaster in the past. SCF has built 400-ft long brick solingwhich now the community use.Sharing his feelings, Shoro said: “SCF encouraged us a lot, got us realized that weshould take initiative on our own, saying nobody from outside will come fortheir help, if we stayed aloof. They brought bricks, masons and laborer andstarted work. Community people came together with the team and then we sawthe day came for which we were waiting. SCF and community completed thework.”“There was four-foot water from the entrance, which the villagers filled throughearth. And then through brick soling we achieved the task and built the road toat least make a way for the community,” Shoro added.Before this when women used to go out to collect fodder and fuel wood it wasquite difficult for them to reach houses with burden on their heads. Similar wasthe issue for children to cross the knee high water. In fact elders were asked torefrain from coming out for any work.Like other families, Abdullah Shoro has piece of family land, which he cultivates.He said all the families used to live happy life now, cross the path safely. Despitethe fact, he said, they have resources but accredits SCF for initiative and achievedthe task with community participation.Reviving the Displaced13

Sikiladho Machi CulvertSeventy-year old farmer Sain Bakhsh Machhi, belonging to riverine villageSikiladho Machhi, despite deteriorating health conditions was still eager towork to ease his small family. He was born and grew in the environment,with greenery all around. River Indus flows from the little distance as usual.But during monsoons, he said, it brings more flow, sometimes prosperouswhile occasionally floods, causing difficulties for the communities.“I have seen ups and downs in the mighty River Indus, but in myunderstanding it always remained prosperous for us, except its devastatingshape last year2010. Flood put everybody out to live in difficulties. Floodwashed away makeshift shelters, destroyed mud-houses with all belongingsand roads,” he said.“We spent almost two months out in relief camps. When we reached nearthe village, we saw scenario completely changed,” he said, recalling thehorrific moments they experienced during the displacement.“We could not cultivate next immediate crops because the water wasstanding all around in the fields. We lost everything except livestock, whichwe took with ourselves,” he said.After returning back we observed broken culvert was major problem. Allresidents of five neighboring villages were in trouble. Somebody wanted togo out on their donkey-carts and motorbikes and others struggling to moveout to see their relatives by common route, but it was difficult for all. Theproblem was that the flood destroyed culvert, which blocked the makeshiftpathway.Even some people used to bring bricks and shelter material from other sidescould not reach. Residents faced huge cost to take things safe to the place. Inemergency, nobody could bring vehicle to take patient to hospital fortreatment. Shopkeepers were in trouble to take items to their shops for sell.“Nobody from us took initiative to do something for ourselves. Residents offive villages were in trouble due to the common problem. We could not do iton our own,” he said.Sain Bakhsh Machhi accredits Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) which builtculvert and saved their time and money. “Otherwise, villagers were unable tobear its cost at that time when the flood devastated everything. They feltproblem to feed their families. They were waiting for outside help,” he said.He is the father of five children, all work in fields. They do not have pieces offamily lands and work as share cropper, cultivating lands of neighboringlandowners. The locality also received eight donated hand pumps from the SCF.Pointing finger towards newly built shelters, he said, these were completed afterthe SCF intervention. Now the people feel proud to have safe route for vehicles toreach timely without any hindrance.14Reviving the Displaced