Delivering aid to flooded-out families

Rasalat's father, Yaqoob, has an illness that prevents him from working. So the family completely depends on Rasalat's income as a day laborer. Photo: Raheel Ayaz/Mercy Corps

This was written by my colleague Raheel Ayaz, a monitoring and evaluation officer here in Pakistan:

Sixteen-year-old Rasalat Khan is a member of one of the 161 families who received emergency food and tool kits from Mercy Corps on Wednesday.

Rasalat's father, Yaqoob, has an illness that prevents him from working. So the family completely depends on Rasalat's income as a day laborer.

He tells us that water ransacked his two-room house, triggering the collapse of three side walls and washing away all items in the household -- including furniture, crockery and tools.

Across the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan, families are dealing with similar levels of destruction. Houses are filled with mud, water is polluted, bridges are washed out and there is no electricity available. People are struggling to survive.

Since Rasalat's neighbors are in the same situation as his family, he could not borrow tools like a shovel, a pickaxe or buckets to clean debris.

"Today I am very happy," he said, "as I have some food to feed my family for few days and also got some tools and equipment."

Each food kit contains rice, lentils, cooking oil and powdered milk. Each tool kit contains a wheelbarrow, shovel, hammer and other implements.

"I am not only able to clean debris of my house but can also help my neighbors who are facing same problem," said Rasalat. "Inshallah, soon I will rebuild walls of my house and we will have shelter again."