After a dry spell, heavy rains and snowfall hit parts of Muzaffarabad
in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir in the first week of February.
Zalzala Lake, which was originally formed by a landslide
during the 2005 earthquake, burst on the 9th February 2010 and flooded
large parts of the surrounding area. One person was killed, and 341
households have been affected in the Union Councils of Hattian
Bala and Chakkar. According to UNDP, the land is still sliding and
unless the breach of the lake is repaired it will continue to move.

 

	Heart Breaking Story of Young Fatima
	Pretty little Felix Fatima is eight years old living with her mother, three brothers and sister. Her one year old brother Immacule Conception sits quietly on his mothers knee , her other siblings are playing in one of the empty tents which hosts distribution and the children have taken advantage of the empty tent to play skipping and simply running around . The camp is called, “The Petion Ville Club Camp.” Felix prefers to be known as Fatima, a precocious eight year old with an amazing sense of humor and resilience. Fatima loves school, her best friend is Jennifer who goes to the same school. Fatima loves dolls, she explains she doesn’t have one, “I love playing with dolls I want to have a beautiful pretty doll that I could look after but I don’t have one, I love food too and that has to come first , so I don’t think I will be able to get a doll for a long time.” Fatima explained, “before the earthquake, after school I would have my lunch, help my mother with house chores and then I go out to play with my friends who lived in my neighborhood, we often played skipping and hide and seek.” “On the day when the earthquake struck I was at home helping my mother with house chores when all of sudden the ground started shaking we did not know what it was. I tried running out of my house but my mother grabbed me and my brother and was holding use tightly, she said to me don’t go anywhere we will be fine and then took us out of our home” said Fatima. She further shared “we had no place to go there was devastation everywhere everyone was screaming crying and shouting for help. But no one could do anything for anyone as everyone was going through the same as us. The first night when the earthquake occurred I had night mares. We ended up staying under a bridge for a while and then moved to this camp. Here its not comfortable but better than living under the bridge. The tent is very hot and when it rains there is water and mud everywhere. Our life was nothing much different than this our house was in a bad condition and now here its worse. They are moving people to another place called Corall Camp I heard its better than this and I wish that we could move there too.” “My mother is the only one taking care of us she has so many troubles after losing our father in the earthquake. We are going through a miserable life. I hope one day we get over all these difficulties and my dream is to have a beautiful house where I have my own bedroom and play with my friends”. There are many young girls like Fatima, she is a beautiful intelligent eight year old given the chance her potential is limitless, girls like Fatima are the future generation of mothers an active segment of Society who can bring positive change for a brighter and better future for the Haitian people. Felix Fatima’s future is bleak her dreams of having the chance to go to school, be safe and healthy are the same as many other little girls in the same situation as Fatima living in some of the other 900 camps dotted around Haiti , these dreams can be turned into reality but only if people around the world continue support families like Fatima’s.
	Fatima playing with other kids from the tent camp - April 14 2010
	Fatima, her mother and brother Immacule