Growing our own food again
The people of the village of Islam Pura in Bagh, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, rely on agriculture for their living. The remote mountain village is largely cut off from other parts of the region so people eat whatever they can grow. In 2005 the devastating earthquake struck the region and ruined the agricultural sector, leaving people without enough food to feed their families.
Mohammad Younus Khan is a teacher and lives in Islam Pura with his wife and six children. He said, “Agriculture is the main source of income for most families in our village. During the earthquake we not only lost our homes but also our livestock and our crops. Since then we have been struggling to rebuild what was destroyed.
Working with the community
“Making changes here was not easy as this village is very remote and people here are very poor. We had no roads or contact with the outside world. But then Islamic Relief approached our community and together we set up a local community organisation. That was when we began seeing a positive change in our conditions,” said Mohammad.
Islamic Relief set up many Community Organisations throughout Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the wake of the devastating earthquake. Through these organisations we have delivered training to local communities as well as helped them to rebuild their homes, water supplies and roads.
Preparing for hard times
“Through our new Community Organisation, Islamic Relief has helped us to focus on developing our agricultural activities. They gave us good quality seeds and tools, and gave us training on new techniques which have all helped to increase production,” said Mohammad.
“Agriculture is a part of our lives here; we rely on it for food and to make a living. Without it we cannot survive. But now that we are producing more we are able to store some wheat and maize for the winter months so we no longer have to suffer from food shortages.”
What is Islamic Relief doing? | Food Security | Ramadan appeal
