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Zareena, 30, and her family used to live in a three-room house with access to clean water, until the devastating earthquake left cracks in their home, making it dangerous for them and their children to live inside. Zareena’s husband works as a driver and they had to use his small income to fix the damage. Islamic Relief supported people in Zareena’s village with a shelter program as well as health and hygiene projects. They were also given training in agriculture, livestock and handicrafts to help them earn a living again.

“Kitchen gardening training was especially beneficial for me,” says Zareena, “I learned how to use my land and increase production. I used what I had learned and managed to grow vegetables during the season. Our neighbors also enjoyed the fresh vegetables and many of them are now inspired to start kitchen gardening next season.”

“We are thankful for donors for supporting us and helping us to improve our lives. Agricultural training helped us a lot because we have land but we lack the knowledge to work the land with modern techniques. Regular Community Organization meetings also increased our knowledge on how to use and conserve natural resources,” says Zareena.

The 2005 earthquake wiped out entire towns and villages across Pakistan administered Kashmir. In Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, over 73,000 people were killed and around 3.5 million lost their homes. Thousands took shelter in makeshift tent camps with little access to food, clean water, medication, or sanitation facilities.

Islamic Relief was one of the first aid agencies to respond to the disaster and continues to support earthquake-affected communities today. The focus is now on helping people rebuild their lives by supporting reconstruction, helping children go back to school and providing livelihoods training.

“I benefited enormously from my kitchen garden so I want to start a seed bank for maximum production. I will start this in the future and share its usefulness with the other villagers,” says Zareena.