There are 452 displaced people living in the classrooms of the Boys High School in Char Gulli. All are facing enormous problems because there is no working latrine at the school. Diseases such as scabies and diarrhoea are spreading rapidly as hygiene conditions continue to deteriorate.
Azeemat’s story
Azeemat Khan from Kal Pari, Buner has been living in this school with his wife, four sons and six daughters for over a month. He explains how the lack of sanitation facilities has affected the health of his family.
“When we first came to Mardan we stayed with relatives,” he said, “but it was very difficult because there was not enough space or resources for all of us. It has been nearly a month and half now since we have moved to this school. “
No latrines
Azeemat said, “When we arrived here the latrines were in a terrible condition and could not be used so some of us worked together to repair two of the latrines for the women and children. The rest of us men had no access to proper sanitation facilities but there was nothing else we could do.
“Now even those two latrines have broken and we have nothing once again,” he said.
Diseases spreading
Azeemat said that many children living in the school were suffering from diarrhoea and skin diseases such as scabies because the hygiene conditions are so poor and there is no proper place to wash.
“My brothers are also staying at the same school and two of my nephews are sick because of the poor hygiene conditions and because there is no sanitation facilities,” he said.
Diarrhoea in young children can be very dangerous, especially for children who are undernourished. Azeemat said that one of his nieces, 18 month old Tahira, has severe diarrhoea and is very weak and in need urgent medical care.
He said “if there was a proper sanitation system in place I believe that a lot of these diseases would not be a problem here.”
No choice
Azeemat said, “We are not used to living in conditions like this. We had a lovely house back in Buner that was well constructed and with all the facilities in it. We had enough money to live a good life and we never thought that we would end up living like this.”
“We are living here because we do not have any other choice at the moment. But the moment we know for sure that it is safe to go back to our villages we will not wait for a one single moment and we will leave.”
He continued, “Life here is all about stress, and our future seems bleak. If the situation remains like this for much longer then I have no idea what we will do, but I hope that someone will help us.”
New facilities
Islamic Relief is helping to provide sanitation facilities to displaced people and local families by constructing 1,500 sanitary latrines, washing places and hand-pumps which provide clean water in schools where displaced people are sheltering in Char Gulli and Rustam. Work has already begun to build new facilities at the school where Azeemat and his family are living.