Story by Maxine Bowler & Abdul Assim
The Kashmir Earthquake Relief Fund’s recent multicultural delegation to Kashmir included Abdul Assim from the local Kashmir Educational Trust. The visit had two aims, to deliver relief to the victims of the earthquake and to find out what was going on…
Even though the delegation was well aware of how big the disaster had been, they were shocked by what they found. It looked like the ’quake had happened the day before, not over two months ago. The place looked like a war zone with people living in tents in the winter snows. Muzaffarabad, the capital, a city the size of Rotherham, may never be rebuilt as numerous aftershocks and landslides are still occurring.
In Bagh, where the girls’ college had been completely destroyed, girls travelled over 60 kilometres to take their exams in a tent, such was their determination to get on with life. The delegation agreed to help rebuild the college, which hopefully will be called the Sheffield Girls’ College Bagh.
If you would like to help with our project or put up a photographic exhibition from the trip in your workplace, school, church, mosque or group, please ring Abdul Assim at the Kashmir Education Trust on 272 8811 or 0794 666 0266.
A film of the delegation made by SHIFT (as part of the Academy for Community Leadership), will be shown on Saturday 11th February 2006 at Sheffield Independent Film, Brown Street at 7.00pm.