Posted by Ayesha Hasan 

A very coordinated, organized and concerted effort. Shining example of effective relief work. Highly recommend Tents for Quake. Please circulate widely.

Ayesha

Relief Efforts and Tents for Quake

"In terms of logistics, the difficult terrain makes this one of most challenging relief operations ever undertaken," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters at U.N. World Headquarters in New York Wednesday, October 19, 2005. In issuing an unusual personal appeal for additional help, he warned, "A second, massive wave of deaths will happen if we do not step up our efforts now."

Source: http://www.terradaily.com/news/disaster-management-05zzzy.html

Shaken by the fact that millions affected by the quake are still homeless and without shelter in several villages across Pakistan, a small group of friends across Pakistan, the United States and the United Kingdom are working together to provide shelter as fast as possible to areas that are not being reached by any relief agency, due to the sheer magnitude of the disaster and difficult. Comprising of young professionals and graduate students, the group has been informally documenting its progress at http://tentdrive.blogspot.com. 

The group is focused on: 

1)      Soliciting and channeling donations, especially cash donations from the U.S.

2)      Researching appropriate avenues of obtaining high-quality goods, especially tents

3)      Finding effective distribution networks and engaging in follow-up

The group has implemented a three-pronged strategy of fundraising and reaching the affected while purchasing a combination of different types of tents available in Pakistan:

1. Soliciting and Channeling Donations:

Funds are collected mainly via the website indicated above and forwarded on to Pakistan.  Donations in the US are transferred from family members in the US to accounts of family members in Pakistan. This is done periodically to pay tent suppliers, with whom the Karachi-based teams have made prior arrangements. The timing is carefully coordinated so that tents have been tested and ordered well in advance and are ready for delivery when the funds are locally available.

100% of your donations will be used to purchase tents. For those donating via Paypal, Paypal does charge a small percentage per credit card transaction (roughly 2.9% and $0.3 per transaction). However, our personal contributions will go towards covering the difference. Donations are not tax deductible as we just formed and have not been able to file for 501(c)(3) status given the urgency of the need.

On an average the group has been raising PKR 50,000 a day since its formation on October 18, 2005.

 2. Tent Research and Purchasing

The Karachi-based Pakistan team has done extensive research on over a dozen Pakistani companies producing and/or importing tents, physically examining and testing tents or verifying tent quality through pictures and other information if unable to physically do so. Given the terrain of the affected areas, the team has identified some basic criteria for tents being delivered to either lower-terrain areas or higher-terrain areas (i.e. the Northern Areas).  Our priority is to obtain double-ply winterized tents. As those are in extreme shortage, we are also working with local companies to purchase other high-quality single-ply tents.

Note: all tent exporters and manufacturers are producing tents at lower quality than the norm in order to meet the high demand by various groups and organizations in a timely fashion before winter sets in. Although quality of tents Pakistan-wide has been compromised, our Karachi-based team remains committed to providing the highest quality we can find as soon as possible – as timeliness will make the difference between survival and death.

Accordingly, for the future, it has decided to order a combination of tents from the three different manufacturers/exporters.

These include the following:

a) Apparel and Co.: This Lahore-based Company is producing resin-coated heavy denim tents that are water proof and water-repellent (tested) of size 10 x 20, for approximately 5-6 persons each. Each tent is costing us PKS 500 (~$9) as our Lahore team has managed to get donations for the labor and cloth.  Funds collected by the group will essentially only pay for accessories including pegs, stakes and ropes. The company is producing about 40 tents daily at approximately PKR 500 (~$9) each.

b) Beyond Borders: This Lahore-based specialist relief tent supplier has been working with the UN for a year and half to supply double-ply winterized tents to Afghanistan. These tents are 4x4 m, with a height of 2m, and a wall height of 0.75m (see enclosed photograph below). As of October 23, 2005, we have received a price quote of PKR 9,700 ($161).

c) Road Trip Company: This Karachi-based Company is producing single-ply flex tents that are water proof and fire extinguishing, of size 15x20, for approximately 7 persons each. Each tent is costing us PKR 3,000 ($50), as labor and accessories of skin and sticks are being provided free of cost by the Company, and we are only playing for the flex. The company is producing approximately 35 tents daily.

3. Reliable Distribution Networks to Needed Areas:

The Karachi-based Pakistan team has identified four different geographical areas of different terrains where no relief aid has currently been provided and is being requested of us. We are working with local individuals through various grass-roots distribution networks, and will be reaching individuals/families that are currently sleeping without any shelter. A point to note is that grassroots networks (usually accessible through lower level staff originally hailing from affected areas) are the single best way to get to inaccessible areas at the moment, especially as Pakistan does not have sufficient helicopters at the moment.

These geographical areas are:

a) Village of Laoir, Pakistan: Located beyond Bagh very near the epicenter of the quake, this village is only accessible by a 6 hour trek by foot.   Our Lahore-based Pakistan team is with working with Rafiq, a local from Laoir who has been working for Lahore-based Arsalan Sheikh for a decade.   Rafiq reported that this village currently has about 200 families that only have a few blankets and some billboard material to sustain them, and have yet to receive any proper aid due to its location. Our Lahore-based have arranged for our tent donations to be driven from Rawalpindi with Army escorts to the point closest to the village by truck. At that point, the truck will be met by Rafiq, who will unload the truck with fellow villagers, and carry the tents on foot back to the village. We hope to reach the people of Laoir through this method within the next few days, and distribute about 100 tents. The total requirement for the village of Laoir is be about 200 tents, depending on the size of the tents.

b) Aligra and a neighboring village, Khaki Region near Ogghi, Pakistan: Comprising of approximately 10,000 people, these two villages have yet to receive any aid. Vehicular transport can only go up to a certain point (as the road ends) then it is a 15 kilometer walk to the villages. Our Karachi-based team is working with Javed, from Aligra, who has been working for Karachi-based Ayesha Hasan for about a decade.  Javed's cousin runs a commuter bus service and will use it to transport all relief items and cash donations to the village safely; he has already taken one shipment. Javed’s brother Afzal will receive the relief goods and is in charge of distribution. We hope to reach the people of these two villages within this coming week, and distribute about 100 tents.  The total requirement for these people will be about 1600 tents, again depending on the size of the tents.

c) Kashmiri Villages approached by EHD (Education for Human Development): We are closely working with a small non-governmental organization (NGO) based out of Islamabad, who is working in the following villages in the Northern areas: Haroot, Dhak, Mandani, Bakhnal, Chatarian, Nakar, Nadhrean, Rangali and Barrian. We just discovered that EHD successfully tapped into another resource to provide for these villages, so the group will no longer need to provide the 1100 tents it had planned, to EHD.

Phase II Plans

The earthquake's affects on the survivors will last a lifetime and the rehabilitation phases and redevelopment phase will need to continue for decades to help return these areas to some form of normality.   As the images from the TV screens become less frequent, the group will continue its efforts and assist those caught up in this natural disaster, by continuing to pursue some of the ideas originally proposed and raising funds to aid the redevelopment in the region.

There remain a number of issues that are affecting the people in Pakistan – e.g. orphans, livelihood, women's lack of security, food etc. Given that the first snow fell within 48 hours of the quake, the group will concentrate its efforts on delivering shelter to difficult-to-reach areas.  

Insha'Allah once we have addressed this issue to the best of our abilities, we will continue to raise funds for long term development and assistance. Once the large shipments the Pakistan government has ordered become more accessible to the victims, we will regroup our efforts. Those involved hope to continue to act as a channel, converting the generosity of its donors into relief for the survivors.

_________________________________________________________ 

All queries to be directed to this main email address –

tentsforquake@gmail.com

Relief Tent Drive Team (Listed in alphabetical order)

Pakistan

Karachi:

Khadeeja Balkhi, Business Journalist, Women's eNews: khadeeja@walkaboutfilms.tv, +92-300-201-6602

Ayesha Hasan, Development Consultant, Open Society Institute: ah1374@yahoo.com, +92-300-828-2628

Sarah Karim, CSR & Business Development., Progas Pakistan Ltd.: skarim@alum.wellesley.edu, +92-333-224-6854

Saman Z. Qadri, MBA Student, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi

Lahore:

Humayoun Khan, Cybernet Project Manager

Arsalan Sheikh, Cybernet Business Process Manager