Studying in air conditioned study rooms is a luxury.
Studying in average setting such as a good room is one to be thankful for.
However, studying while living in tents in the scorching heat of August is definitely
a tough job.
This weekend I had the opportunity to meet some students of
Booni who left their houses due to land sliding after the earthquake and settled
in Qaqlasht, a dry plateau on Mastuj road.I also went to see some students of
Muzhgole who are living in tents on the other side of Qaqlasht and going to far flung schools from these tents as the last year floods had washed away their houses.Meeting the students I realized how hard it is to live in a tent in
this hot summer and study.The purpose of this visit was to share the message
of Sofia and her fellow Pakistani students, who study in Berea College.
Sofia Naz, a Chitrali student from Berea
College, Kentucky USA led the campaign with her fellow Pakistani students at her college to share the worries of the affected
students of Chitral. According to Sofia Naz,” Our team wanted to tell the kids
that no matter what education is a must and never ever to give up to hardship
that will come in life". They organized a bake sale on campus and sold the
baked goods to raise the money. They also had help from many of their friends.
Some were American friends and some are international students. Sofia then sent some little fund to her friends in Chitral who
last week reached out to the flood and earth quake affected students of Booni
and Muzgole who are now living in tents in Qaqlasht plateau. The gifts that
were given to the students included School bags, Math Box, Color pencil sets,
pen, pencils, erasers and rulers of very good quality.
 |
| Students after receiving school gifts |
The friends also reached
out to Allama Iqbal Model School Muzhgole and the principal of that school
shared an official list of 15 homeless students who are also given some support
using this fund. Few students who faced paying tuition fees also benefited from this help. A total of 30 students benefitted from this little fund shared
by Sofia and her team.
 |
| With the brave students in Qaqlasht |
 |
| With teachers and students of AIMS Muzhgole. School in the background |
Last year a series of devastating calamities hit the
Northern District, Chitral of Pakistan where thousands of houses were damaged, tens of bridges collapsed and schools washed away. These calamities included flash floods and earthquake. Although it has been a year, yet a lot needs to be done to rehabilitate the calamity hit people of the area.
