wfn.org | CWS Earthquake Village Now has Mosque And Water Supply

["Lesley Crosson" <lcrosson@churchworldservice.org>]

Church World Service Pakistan Earthquake Village Now Has Mosque and Water
Supply

NEW YORK / ISLAMABAD - Nov 3 - The Church World Service tent village in
earthquake-stricken Pakistan now has a functioning mosque; its own
dependable supply of clean drinking water; latrines; and an out-patient
medical facility.  New relief parcels, including health kits, kitchen
sets, and utensils are being distributed in the camp, located in the
village of Bisyan in North West Frontier Province.

These operations continue even as CWS and other agencies wait and hope for
desperately needed funding to continue assisting survivors of the
devastating October 8 earthquake.

Church World Service, the humanitarian relief agency supported by 36
denominations and communions, also is preparing to open a separate cooking
area for the growing number of families-averaging eight children and
adults--housed in the camp.

Scores of patients already have been treated at the CWS camp clinic, which
is supported by a larger hospital run by the Diocese of Peshawar.  With
eight latrines already in service at the tent village, CWS plans to open
42 more over the next few days.

The CWS psychosocial team is using Eid al-Fitr, the celebration that ends
the month of Ramadan, to help bring a sense of normality and festivity to
still vulnerable families. Gifts and sweets are being distributed as part
of the holiday celebrations.  The team also has produced a series of radio
spots scheduled to air for two weeks, beginning this week.  The informative spots are aimed at reassuring people who may be feeling vulnerable as a
result of the disaster about their own inner resilience and their ability
to cope.

So far, CWS has distributed shelter kits to serve 27,167 individuals.  The
Pakistan Humanitarian Forum reports that many people have asked for tin
sheets so that they can construct family shelters based on their individual needs.  Some people still are reluctant to come down from the hills to
tent villages for fear of having their livestock or the remains of their
homes looted in their absence.

 More than 20,685 individuals in the areas of Battagram, Shangla and
Balakot have been fed with CWS-provided food packages.	Another 100 tents
were airdropped into a village in Balakot on October 30, but the combined
total of tents expected to be delivered by the end of November still may
fall some 100,00 to 200,00 tents short of the number needed. CWS staffers
also are concerned that government helicopters might be grounded because
of lack of funds.

Contributions to support earthquake survivors may be sent to:
Church World Service
Southern Asia Earthquake--#6979
P.O. Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
Contributions may also be made online, or by calling 800.297.1516, ext.
222.
Media Contacts:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin (24/7), 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net