A villager carries his tent away from The Salvation Army's distribution point in Bhogarmong
After distributing tents in Balakot, the Salvation Army relief team moved on to Manshera, in the Bhogarmong valley, where a further 200 tents were distributed to people who were without any form of shelter. Fifty more tents were taken back to Balakot for families who missed out on the previous distribution.
Before the earthquake happened, the Manshera valley was a beautiful and vibrant area, extremely popular with tourists. As a result of the disaster, however, the local people have lost everything, although they are still living in the wreckage of their homes.
Even with their new tents, the people are still at risk as winter is closing in fast and the weather is becoming increasingly cold.
From Manshera the team made their way to the town of Dadar, where they distributed 104 tents with the aid of Pakistani military forces.
Local community leaders had already selected the most needy families to receive the tents, each of which can accommodate up to 10 people.
Ninety-nine per cent of the houses in Dadar were completely demolished by the earthquake, and the town’s impoverished families – many of whom are illiterate – now have no means of earning a living, due to the destruction of their town’s infrastructure.
Report by Katie Baddams
