Floods 2010 - stitching wounds

Aijaz Ahmed sewing at his shop where other general items are also visible.



Life was not same for Aijaz Ahmed as he lived since teenage. Floods 2010 water swept everything he had earned over last many years. He saw everything bereft in his front. Everything he had known since childhood. “Terrible sense of desolation broke everyone evacuating village”, he told AHD team “We were all dejected”.

Village Bahawal Jatak is one of hundreds of villages of District Qambar Shahdadkot badly hit by flood water in 2010. Hundreds of thousands were displace during flood 2010 and thousands were marooned for months without food and water.  Village Bahawal khan Jatak is 30 kilometer from district headquarter Qambar Shahdadkot. Aijaz had a tailoring shop to earn bread for his 8 family members, his mother, his wife and 6 children that include infant master Bhural.

“We lived at different repulsed camps with horrible smell of human waste at Larkana for 3 months”, he felt himself cringe with the embarrassment of memory. He told AHD team that they didn’t even had half a dried chapatti to feed our kids. They had never planned to face disaster or evacuate their village ever. It was lifetime bitter experience for his family and other villagers. He could even bring stitching machine with him to keep him busy and earn something. His days with family at camp were disgrace and embarrassing.

AHD started PEFSA-II project at Shahdadkot that included village Bahawal Jatak for intervention of livelihood support initiatives. On this project AHD with Care international was providing micro-business grant (non-returnable and without interest) to households identified as skilled and did won pre-flood small shops or enterprises. In total 2172 households were eligible to receive grants in 3 categories i.e ‘Cash for Works’ (Rs.33000 against 110 days’ work at their villages) to 1500 families, Rs.33300 ‘unconditional cash grant’ for most vulnerable 172 housholds, and Rs.28000 to 500 families for recover their ‘microbusiness/enterprises and agriculture’, all non-returnable grants.

“Now after 1 year of depression and desolate, I have received support from AHD to purchase machines and repair my shop” tell Aijaz. He showed AHD team small mud shelter shop to AHD while talking to team. “I purchased 2 machines, tailoring toolkit, iron, tables, and shelf to place dresses and unstitched clothes. People know I am good tailor and they have started to come to me for dress making.” He talks with smile on his face “I make 3 to 4 dresses per day and charge Rs. 250 for each dress. I take Rs.1000 mostly home in evening. I also have general store items in my shop. I also earn from them ”

After support of AHD (Action for Humanitarian Development) through micro finance business first of all he constructed his ruined shop then he started his business.

 AHD (Action for Humanitarian Development) solved his problem through Micro Business grant, before intervention AHD (Action for Humanitarian Development) did assessment of villages they informed him different types of grant but they select him for micro business because he meet on MB grant criteria due that he was taller master then they granted him about 28000 rupees, through tamer bank, unavailability of shop was his major constraints. Now he get benefit from his shop his livelihood is very better now he is feeling too much better

Mr. Aijaz Ahmed is very hard worker he has given chance to make his life better and I hope that he would continue as type of efforts and would successes in his life.



For further details please visit www.ahdsindh.org or email: ahd@cyber.net.pk

 

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