Maureen Lines has sent us the following piece which provides a flavour of the difficulties she has to contend with.

This is proving to be a very difficult season. First I banged up my ankle really badly and then a few days later had a terrible bout of gastroenteritis. Then I returned to Birir. My nucleus of my small family which broke away last December from the big extended family received a terrible shock. The husband was killed in an accident in our small hydro electric power station, of which he was in charge.  Story has it he received an electric shock and fell with his head hitting a rock.

Then there was a farcical scene, where we tried to revive him – modern medicine and modern methods often conflict with ancient tribal customs!!  Then the funeral – It must have been one of the biggest and longest funerals in the history of the valleys – maybe because of its soap opera content. Last winter, Merrik, the father of Taj, the victim of the accident, had ordered his son to leave the house. Then Taj and I struggled to build a house for all of us and the four children. This, compounded with the involvement of yours truly, plus the respect for my friend, now a widow, as a person, guaranteed this would be a big event. For the kids of the house and the rest of the village, it was akin to our Christmas. People came with sweets, biscuits, cakes and toys.

On the fourth day of the funeral I received a visit from top brass police. I had to live in Chitral. I gave them short shrift and told them they were sitting in MY HOUSE and I was not going anywhere. Birir was my home and had been for thirty years. My family had just tragically lost a family member and they had no right to be there etc. They left in a huff threatening to strip me of my citizenship.  I messaged someone in the Provincial Government.
All was quiet until Wednesday night, when my night security of five border police was increased to twelve. For several days there had been reports of torches in the jungle and sighting a big dog???? I explained that Taliban are not going to prowl the jungle at night with a torch in one hand and a large dog in the other!!!! It was obvious to my family and friends that certain people in Birir were attempting to frighten me away…

Anyway, the Superdara of police panicked and called the Superdara Major in Chitral, who called the DCO, who is involved in my court case over the land in Bumburet. Thursday night, at 2.00 in the morning, the police arrive – six vehicles with special police as well as Frontier Police. Two women wearing the hijab come into my room. Immediately, I am reminded of two owls as all I can see are their eyes. I told the SDP to get rid of them. It did not dawn on me at that moment the significance of women police being involved.  I then had to go down the dangerous mountain path in the dark, without the steady hand and watchful eyes of my friend, as she is powerless to do anything, being in a state of being impure because her husband was killed. But her friend stepped in and assisted me. The police said the Taliban had entered Birir and they were on their way to kidnap ME!!

In the vehicle are the two women. I let the SDP have it. I told him to get them out of the vehicle and he muttered something about Islam requires it (never in all the years they have been harassing me have they ever brought a woman – like I said I did not realize the significance then) and he added that I cause them so much trouble. I cause them trouble????? I’ve known this guy for years.  I told him again to get rid of these schoolgirls, who could not speak English or operate a weapon. He asked if he could swop them for an armed policeman. I said exactly.

They take me to the Governor’s Cottage. VIP treatment but then it dawned on me. I was in protective custody. All the gates were locked and a couple of hours later I had to ORDER the guards to let in Afzal. They were very reluctant to open the gates. I was also told I had to see the DCO at 10.00. I refused, as I had to attend the court in regard to my case over the land in Bumburet. There I tangled with the DCO’s advocate. After the court I decided to head straight for Dir, accompanied of course by the police all the way to Dir, where they said I had to continue to Peshawar. I told them I was going nowhere and entered the hotel. The manger greeted me ready to fight them and then they meekly disappeared. I immediately informed all my journalist friends and the Provincial Government. Of course, there were no Taliban! (That was to come some time later…) It was all one big lie..

I hope to return to Birir shortly. I cannot stay away for long anymore, as now I literally have a family to look after. I am now responsible for all of us. I hope to bring down my friend and the two younger kids to Peshawar for January and February. Life will be very difficult for all of us. All four kids need new winter clothes, as they have all grown since last winter, and we still have to finish the house. The biggest problem will be feeding all of us, as the cost of food has soared enormously.

On the first day of the funeral, many men wept as well as the women. One Karzi came to me with tears running down his cheeks and said: “Oh God, four small children. What will become of them?” I simply said that I would take care of them. I do so willingly and with love. Granted it will make my life more complicated, but it has never been anything else. Anyway, my friend, who brought me hot water at four o’clock every morning last winter to get the circulation going in my once broken ankle, is not phased. She says: “If you are pure in heart, God will provide.”

The day I returned to Birir just one week later, with Janus, I was hoping for some peace and quiet. The Taliban had attacked several check posts while I had been absent and I figured, maybe now the heat would be off me… of course, I had to be joking.

Janus and I were having a late lunch and talking to Bau and other Kalash etc when suddenly a band of men emerged from the nullah. 20 odd, fully armed border police. Truly I did not know whether to laugh or scream. I think I did both. Right away, I said I am not going anywhere. Janus rebuked me, saying, but you don’t know what they want or going to say! I replied, I most surely did! 

I again repeated I was not about to move. I was tired from the drive over the Lowari and especially coming over the Birir Road, which my workers had just made viable. In the end, the police left, with all but the chief, laughing and smiling. I know most of them. Some were guides, others used to carry my rucksack of medicine when they were itty bitty kids.

Once again, we relax. Janus now a little bashful, but of course not willing to admit I was correct. He is a true Pathan – real male chauvinist p..! 6.30pm – another wave of police emerge from the nullah. This time armed police from Ayun.

He started threatening me saying he would take my family (they have no honour, no feeling, no nothing) and that they were trying to keep me there etc. Needless to say this made me very angry.  Poor Janus. Now in the position of trying to protect me and to reason with people who you can’t reason with. The officer said I simply must leave. I said it was late, now dark, I was tired and I was not going anywhere over that dangerous road!  Did they want me to have an accident? Did they want to land me in the hospital? Was that taking care of me? Was that good security? I would go to Gahiret on the morrow. Almost frothing at the mouth, the leading officer asked me if I would write a letter saying he was not responsible for my safety etc. etc. Gladly!! 

So for the last week I have commuted between Birir and Gahiret every morning and evening and of course my back is suffering.  Then another fifteen strong bunch arrived one afternoon just as I was about to leave for Gahiret. The guy in charge (charming and kindly) was the additional SHO. He told me that the police wanted to cooperate with me and all they wanted was to keep me safe as they treasured me so much because of all the wonderful work I had done, and they did not want me to be taken to some foreign destination etc. (I could practically hear the violins in the background). Again, torn between laughter and frustration, I sat down with them, reminding them it was gone four o’clock and they were keeping me from going to Gahiret. Those who knew English had a good laugh while the poor chief looked genuinely puzzled. My family offered chai. In my cooperation with the police I agreed to take one of them with me to Rumbur.

I asked him two very important questions. Were the Taliban targeting me? If so, then I needed security round the clock and in Peshawar.  He laughed and said no. It was only because I was a foreigner. I then asked was it true the Taliban had set foot in Birir. Again, he laughed. No, he said. Only that some had been spotted on the Pak/Afghan border in the vicinity of Birir. That area I know like the other areas. The border closest to Birir is some two to three days trek away. It is by the Parpit Pass and the highest high pastures and Shepherds encampment in the Hindu Kush – Marjam.

The day I first returned to Gahiret (on the Sunday about 6.00) I had just started to drink tea when the border police CIA guy turned up (he was one of the kids who used to carry my rucksack and I know his mother who always fed me when I went to their village) and said the DCO wanted me to go to Chitral. He was full of sympathy. I said I was not going anywhere. I would go the next day. He called and rearranged for me to go the following day.

At the moment I am again in Peshawar awaiting to return to Birir. The Taliban are fighting just over the border in Nuristan and the passes are still just about negotiable. In a few days, hopefully, the snow will be sufficient to close them for the winter, and then I shall have no problem returning, my govt friends inform me.

The classrooms would be built just above the village of Grubinasa in central Birir. This is the village where our Field Director lives in the summer so it will be easy to constantly monitor construction. The idea is to have a natural (a la Kalash) building similar to the community school, which is situated in the same site. The land belongs to one of the three brothers of the Field Director’s Kalash family.

For a High School to be accepted by the government it has to be built to certain standards and criteria. In this case there have to be six classrooms, library, staff room, kitchen/chowkidar house, washing and toilet facilities. One classroom can double as a lab and art room.

Both our Field Director and our Kalash engineer, who we have worked with before and who owns the land on which we wish to build the school, immediately thought of using the existing facilities of the community primary school as a base, as there are already four classrooms, a small office, four latrines and a small kitchen. While we are building the two classrooms etc, the school can continue and again if the community desire, we can turn it into a middle school.

It is proposed that we build the new facilities over three seasons. This year, we can start on the first and main classroom and kitchen/chowkidar house. Already KEPS (Kalash Environmental Protection Society) is engaged in building a retaining wall, with government money (see funding) for protection of the school and, in 2009, with its government funded pipeline project, provided good clean drinking water for the school.

Proposed site with one of the primary school classrooms in the background.

Due to inflation and the time scale, the buildings have been costed on the high side particularly in the case of timber.

Note: The Kalash Environmental Protection Society is a Pakistan registered NGO which works in close association with HKCA. 

      Costs and building plan

Background Notes

1: In 2009 KEPS installed a clean water supply – Cost £200 funded by the Government of Pakistan

2: The existing primary school was at risk due to erosion so HKCA/KEPS put a project to the Government of Pakistan for the building of retaining walls to protect the site. This was accepted and work started in June 2011. Cost £7,300 funded by the Government of Pakistan

The Nullah alongside the site subject to flooding and erosion where the retaining walls will be built.

New school build plan

Year 1:          Dig trenches and build foundations for first classroom. Cost including collection of stones, masonry work etc £2,500 already funded.

Build walls of first classroom etc. Cost £2,500 required by September 2011.

Year 2:          Build second classroom. Cost £5,000 required by April/May 2012.

Year 3           Build washroom, teacher’s staff room etc. Cost £5,000 required by April/May 2013

Grand total: 1914223 Rupees (£13,973)

Note: At the time this estimate was prepared the £ Stirling/Pakistani Rupee rate of exchange was 135Rs to £1. A detailed breakdown of the costs that make up this project are available on request.

The start of the foundations for the new classrooms in July 2011.

Maureen has been travelling back and forth to the Kalash Valleys and to Birir in particular finalising plans for the school buildings. On her first visit the local people were calling her their “Leader” remembering the great work she did in getting food aid into the valleys last autumn after the floods.

HKCA has been able to provide a small budget of £1000 for spending on special needs patients mainly to cover transportation to the hospital in Chitral. She currently has four patients requiring help including a 12 year old boy with a badly broken thigh who fell from a tree in Birir. He had an operation on 21 July to have a pin inserted and now his upper leg is in plaster. He will be here for quite a while.

Other patients needing assistance include Gul Nisar, an elderly woman who has a blocked heart and needs a goitre operation; Kata Sing, a famous Kalash elder who cannot walk as his knees are so bad and a young woman with gyny problems who we have to bring down for a minor op. Faheem is keeping a tally and we shall send details when we have something concrete to report. We are telling all patients they must pay for their own food.

The patient’s budget is over and above the Dispensary Project funding. Funding of the schools project is being treated as a special ring fenced project for which at the time of writing, £2500 has been specifically raised and we need to raise a further £2,500 by the end of September.

We have been very aware from comments in emails from Maureen and others in Asia of the rocketing inflation that has been taking place over the past two years and asked Maureen to do a short piece on this for the newsletter. She did not think you would believe her! She therefore asked her office manager Fahim Badshah to do it.

S.No

YEAR

Project Name

Amount

(In Pak Rs:)

Funded By

Location

52

2008-09

Retaining Wall Project

21,56,000

Govt. of Pakistan

Birir

51

2008

HKCA MEDICAL PROJECT

5,91,900

HKCA UK

Three Kalash Valleys

50

2007-08

Medical Project

16,95,200

Finnish Govt.

For Kalash Valleys

(under process)

49

2007-08

Medical Project

3,39,471

HKCA/Australian High Commission

Medicines for five dispensaries

48

2006-07

Govt Latrine Project

52,62,000

Govt. of Pakistan

Rumbur and Bamburet

47

2007

HKCA MEDICAL PROJECT

5,35,602

HKCA UK

Three Kalash Valleys

46

2006-07

Medical Project

5,96,885

HKCA/KCC – Finland, Australia and UK

Birir, Bumbur, Shekhanandeh

and Jingeret Ku

45

2006

HKCA MEDICAL PROJECT

5,20,602

HKCA UK

Three Kalash Valleys

44

2006

Bashali House Project

7,05,456

Finnish Govt.

Birir

43

2006

TB Survey Project

1,81,000

British High Commissioner

Three Kalash Valleys

42

2005

HKCA MEDICAL PROJECT

5,46,971

HKCA UK

Three Kalash Valleys

41

2005

Jeshtak Han

5,88,200

Finnish Govt.

Rumbur and Balanguru

40

2005

Irrigation Project

6,56,000

Finnish Govt.

Birir

39

2005

Medical Project

7,10,233

KCC, Finland, Australia

Birir, Bumbur, Shekhanandeh

and Jingeret Ku

38

2005

Jeshtak Han

5,88,200

Finnish Govt.

Rumbur

37

2005

Irrigation Project

6,56,000

Finnish Govt.

Birir

36

2005

Medical Project

7,10,233

HKCA, Finnish Govt. & KCC (Kalash Coordinating Committee, Islamabad)

Birir, Bumburet and Rumbur

35

2004-05

Latrine Project

6,62,400

Australian Govt.

Birir

34

2004-05

Australian Govt. Latrine Project

6,62,400

Australian Govt.

Birir

33

2004

HKCA MEDICAL PROJECT

5,42,347

HKCA UK

Three Kalash Valleys

32

2004

Medical Project

6,25,347

HKCA

Birir, Bamburet and Rumbur

31

2004

Drinking Water Pipe line Project, Bini Nisar

6,31,921

Finish

Birir

30

2004

Medical Project

6,25,347

HKCA

Birir, Bumburet and Rumbur

29

2003

Medical Project

5,15,000

HKCA

Birir, Bumburet andRumbur

28

2002

Medical Project

6,00,000

HKCA

Birir

27

2002

Rebuilding a Bashali House

3,36,740

Dutch Govt.

Birir

26

2002

Playing field for School

1,45,000

Finnish Govt.

Birir

25

2001

The Opening of a Community in Birir

50,000

KEPS

Birir

24

2001

An Engineering Survey of Birir for Irrigation

1,30,000

Finnish Govt.

Birir

23

2001

Pilot Project for Pour Flush Latrines

3,59,480

Canadian Govt.

Birir

22

2001

Medical Project

5,92,572

HKCA-KEPS

Birir

21

2000

A Small water Pipeline

40,000

HKCA

Muscor

20

2000

CBO Training and to View Projects – SWISS Programme

Swiss Govt.

Rumbur / Birir

19

2000

Medical Project

4,41,774

HKCA

Birir

18

1999

A Water Pipeline

4,14,000

Finnish Govt.

Jingeret Ku

17

1999

Medical Project / Bashali House

2,20,000

HKCA

Birir/Bumburet

16

1999

SWISS Training Programme

Swiss Govt.

Three Kalash Valleys

15

1998

A Second “KOT” restored by the FINNS

3,21,000

Finnish Govt.

Jingeret Ku

14

1998

Access Bridge In Rumbur

1,50,000

Australian Govt.

Rumbur

13

1998

Environmental, Educational And Health Project

3,70,600

UNESCO

Birir/Rumbur

12

1997

Conversation Training

20,000

WWF

Three Kalash Valleys

11

1997

Selected Guides Trained As Medical Worders And Improve Environment

2,03,600

Australian Govt.

Three Kalash Valleys

10

1996

RETAINING WALL (in partnership AKRSP) For Guru Village

10,00,784

ODA

Guru/Birir

9

1996

Water Pipeline for Birir Bashali House

39,000

Austrian Govt

Guru/Birir

8

1996

Bashali House Built

1,61,860

Australian Govt.

Rumbur

7

1996

Guide Programme Adopted By The Local Administration

Local Adm.

Three Kalash Valleys

6

1996

Restoration of Kalash Defence Tower

1,66,640

Finnish Govt.

Jingeret Ku

5

1994-1995

The First Programme of Training Kalash Guides

1,76,550

Australian Govt.

Three Kalash Valleys

4

1994

Building a Bashali House

1,65,000

Dutch Govt.

Birir

3

1992-1994

Pilot Stove And Pit Latrine Project

1,00,000

British Govt

Bumburet/Birir

2

1991

Monitored Project For First Kalash School

Canadian Govt.

Bumburet

1

1986-1991

Medical Project – Self Funded

46,995

Self Funded

Birir

Published by Rhodos, Denmark (www.rhodos.dk). ISBN 8772459743. 498 kroner (approx £50 plus postage.)

Mytte Fentz has written the definitive book on the Kalasha. The publishers and the author are to be congratulated. The book is magnificent, and like Maureen Lines recent book “From Disaster to Catastrophe” is compulsive reading. Both books will stand as paradigms of their genre for years to come. It is therefore a pleasure to note that Mytte Fenze uses some of Maureen’s photographs in her book. These are on pages 188 and 189. Mytte Fentz’s book is almost 550 pages long, and has a coffee-table format and weight – but it is much more than that. There are superb colour photographs with accounts of all aspects of the Kalasha, including their history, villages, social structure and environment. Mytte Fentz lived in the valleys for a number of years during the 1990’s, and has the academic credentials to lift her account to a level that will ensure her book’s long-term importance. As Mytte writes in her introduction “The present book may be regarded as a continuation of an internationally recognised tradition of Danish research into Central Asia that began as early as the final decade of the 19th century with Lieutenant Ole Olufsen, who in 1896–97 and 1898-99 led the first and second Danish Pamir Expedition. It is my hope that this contribution can add to existing international research about the Kalasha in the Hindu Kush mountains.” Her hopes have been amply fulfilled.

Kalash Valley in winter – Photo: Maureen Lines

The book is divided into three major sections: ‘Introduction’, ‘The Valley’ and ‘The High Pasture’. There are also seven appendices, followed by a glossary, bibliography, a list of photographers, and an index, all of which are first rate. The three main photographers are Mette Fentz, John Harrison, and Torben Stroyer, with seven additional names including Maureen Lines who has a unique knowledge of the area. These photographs are acknowledged on page 530. There are a number of interesting topics with comments in the book. We very much enjoyed the general account at the beginning of the book on Chitral and Chitral Town which we know well. Earlier foreign workers in the area are also given due recognition, including Georg Morgenstierne, Karl Jettmar, Alberto and Augusto Cacopardo, Jean Loude and Vivian Lievre, Peter Parkes and Max Klimburg. There are one or two minor errors in the bibliography. For example on page 481, Parkes 1993 and Foster 1965 are not in the bibliography at the end of the book. But this inevitably happens in any major contribution to the literature.

Photo: Maureen Lines

The author provides us with a detailed account of Kalasha cultural ideas on religion and the relative roles of women and men in society.  She also identifies the important leadership role that women play in irrigation agriculture and water milling to produce flour, together with the part that locally brewed wine and the sacrifice of goats play in society. There is also detailed discussion of the role of legends in the culture and history of the Kalasha is fascinating, and the author discusses and comments on these. The old architecture of the Kalasha is impressive, and is constructed on steep mountain slopes using techniques and positioning that withstand earthquakes, land-slides and flash floods. The high pastures are discussed in some detail. These are relatively high altitude grazing areas that men and goats inhabit during the summer months. Migrations are made to and from these areas in Spring and Autumn, with appropriate rituals. So the story is well told.

All in all, the Kalasha are an extraordinary and endangered group of people and theirs is an extraordinary story.  Mytte Fenze’s book together with that by Maureen Lines do the Kalasha the fullest justice. The two books will stand as major achievements for many years to come. Anyone interested in the origins and culture of the Kalash people and in their environment really has to have a copy of both books.

Peter and Azra Meadows. July 2010.

The author has lived part of the year since 1986 and almost the entire year since 1993 in Pakistan mainly in the Kalash Valleys of the North West Frontier Province. This book reflects her love for the Kalash valleys and the people living in them. It also shows how difficult it is to run a charity and an NGO both of which she is responsible for starting in 1993 and 1995 respectively, where everything and everybody is political. Maureen explains the problems she encounters day-by-day while she is busy trying to help improve the life of the people of the valleys, be they Kalash, Muslim, Nuristani Muslims or Guja. Obstacles are thrown in her path by many organisations and many people. But she praises those government officials, western doctors and journalists who have supported her and come to her aid over the years.

The book gives an intimate picture of her life among the Kalash people and the ways of this unique ethnic minority group. Dogs, as well as people, play a big part in Maureen’s life. VIPs such as Diana, Princess of Wales and Lord Carrington are given space along with Hisbe Islami supporters who have given her hospitality in Nuristan and Kabul as well as Tora Bora in Afghanistan. The danger of militant extremists gives Maureen a headache when she is awarded a five-man police escort not to mention the bombs in Peshawar in 2009.

All through the book, the themes of the innocence of the Kalash, and their relationship to Western influences are contrasted with reality on the ground. Her human relationships with the people of the valleys and with animals and nature, along with a black sense of humour, make this a must read. It is for those who love exotic far-flung places, those who are interested in small and endangered ethnic groups, and those who wish to help some of the least privileged people on Planet Earth.

To order a copy of this new book please send a cheque to ‘HKCA’ for £29.99 plus £5 P&P UK ONLY

c/o Ashmere, Felix Lane, Shepperton, Middlesex TW17 8NN.

This child was taken to hospital suffering from dehydration. Cost: approx £5

At that time, she lived in Princes Risborough in the U.K. during the winter months with her mother. She used to leave for Pakistan in the spring time and returned during the late autumn. The Kalash likened her to a migratory bird. She raised money for her air fare, living allowance and the cost of medicine by local activities – coffee mornings, slide shows, cake sales etc. It is thanks to those friends in Princes Risborough and the surrounding areas that she was able to continue to go to the valleys every year.

She spent her time travelling up and down the valley – eight, ten, twelve miles a day with a rucksack of medicine on her back, her dogs and often a small boy acting as porter. She got to know every path, irrigation channel and every house. People vied with one another to provide her and her dogs with sustenance. They used to call her the ‘postman’, as she brought news from the other villages.

With the formation of HKCA, Maureen was able to adopt a more realistic infrastructure and so began the second phase of her personal medical help to the inhabitatns, which proved to be of even greater benefit to the people. This was taking patients from Birir to Chitral and very serious patients from all three valleys down to Peshawar.

Much of this was paid for by fundraising events in Islamabad as well as funds from Friends of HKCA. Two years ago in 2007, westerners started leaving Islamabad. Now, no one will organise fundraising events so this source of income was lost to us.

With funding short Maureen was reluctantly forced to let go the medical assistant in Chitral in early 2008.

Shaheen Gul received a successful heart transplant. Cost: approx: £1,500

His job was very valuable as he was able to weed out those who really needed to go to Chitral to the army hospital and from there she was able to ascertain those who needed to go to Peshawar. Without an assistant either end, Maureen cannot deal with patients. She has a taxi driver who has filled the bill admirably in Peshawar, as he knows the hospitals and clinics. He also gets paid as he works rather than a salary.

What she should like to do is to revive this very necessary part of the programme.

Before temporarily closing down the project HKCA had successfully treated cancer cases (many were cancers in young children), heart disease patients, those with severe mental problems, skin diseases and many serious eye problems.

Now every so often, Maureen receives a phone call (usually on a Sunday) which starts something like: “Baba, I have problem, can I come and see you?” The problem is invariably a mother, sister, brother or baby who has a medical problem. She has to say “no” because she has no way of knowing over the phone how severe the problem may be. Sometimes a BIG problem can be nothing, but on the other hand, a minor problem can end up being a very costly opened ended venture.

HKCA would like to restart the project and revive our Chitral infrastructure by again employing a medical assistant. We have a pickup, currently used but not every day for our dispensary project so transport is not a problem. We need to raise funds for the salary of one man (£60 a month) and for the cost of extra fuel for the pickup (another £50 per month) but that is really very little outlay for what we can achieve humanitarily.

So for no more than £1500 per annum the structure is available for helping individual patients. Those able to be treated in Chitral in the Government Hospital can cost as little as £5. Other requiring transportation to Peshawar and inevitably food and accommodation can be a great deal more – Pakistan culture dictates that “family” provides support in hospital so it is not just the patient who has to be paid for when dealing with the poorest people. Costs therefore vary greatly.

Because every patients problem is different with some costing minimal amounts and others hundreds of pounds and sometimes ongoing, we feel the only way to go forward is to have a separate fund for special cases which can be topped up.

This fund will be called ‘The Nameer Gul Fund’ in memory of a very brave little girl who sadly died a year after her operation for a cancerous bone tumour. Once the fund reaches £3000 we will again start taking on special cases.

Project Title : HEALTH AWARENESS RAISING PROGRAMME FOR THE KALASH VALLEYS

Location:   Kalash Valleys of Chitral, Malakand Division

Implementing Agency: KALASH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION SOCIETY (KEPS) in consultation with
AWARD
Duration : Two Years

This pilot project has been designed to create awareness and educate the communities of the three valley on health matters, STD’s, Hepatitis B & C and TB. During the first season, the capacity building of KEPS and Kalash people on the subject will be carried out to ensure the sustainability and documentation of the project.

THIS PROJECT HAS NOW BEEN FUNDED BY THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT AND COMMENCED IN 2009.

About 80% of all the funds raised by HKCA go into the running of our medical project. For example it funds the jeep/ambulance which is the only form of transport for sick people in the valleys. It funds the purchase of drugs and medicines and a dispensary. A current project within the medical project is to raise funds to administer new dispensaries.

There is a government dispensary for each of the three valleys, but they never have any medicine and the dispensers have little knowledge of medical procedures.

For people to travel to Chitral it means a two-hour ride in a taxi jeep, which most cannot afford. We have been helping the inhabitants of the valleys and the surrounding area for many years, including taking patients to Chitral and very serious cases to Peshawar.

After many years of experience working in the Kalash Valleys, Maureen Lines came to the conclusion that the most practical way to help the people is by opening dispensaries, which are stocked with good medicine. In the winter, it is very hard for anyone to reach Chitral and this is when these dispensaries are most valuable and can even save lives.

Activities

* To supply six dispensaries on a quarterly basis. These initially would be located at: Shaikhonondai, Balanguru, Krakaal, mid Bumburet, Bini Nisar and Birir.

* To employ a dispenser (an intelligent person who is educated can easily be trained to dispense what is only simple medicine) on a part-time basis in each one. The opening of the dispensary will be at set times so as to accommodate both the dispenser and the patients.

* To use the dispensaries for raising health awareness by providing free materials on subjects such as TB. In time it may be possible to improve them to such a degree that some could also be used as temporary eye clinics.

* To consistently monitor the programme for both the need of further medicine, and to check the register and honesty of the dispenser.

* To stamp all medicine with our logo and not for sale stickers.

URGENT APPEAL

Our Medical Project, detailed below, has just completed it first very successful FULL year of operation. This has involved expanding our dispensaries to five in number and fully stocking them with medicines. However these medicines will be at a very low level by the end of winter 2009 and we URGENTLY need £5,000 for restocking the dispensaries before the late autumn.