Malik Naseem emerged from the ruins of his house with steaming bowls of "sevian" - a sweet delicacy.There are still victims who have receive no aid. Donations have been insufficient.
"We used to celebrate Eid with our family and friends," he said, offering me a bowl. "But the earthquake took those familiar faces away and brought you media people here instead.
"So we celebrate with you. You are our family this year."
Beneath this instinctive warmth came a reminder of the raw grief of Muzaffarabad. Malik Naseem asked me if I had enjoyed my time in his city. I said I had met many good people.
"No," he replied, crouching and cradling his head in his hands, "the good people were all killed in the earthquake. Only we are left."
November 13, 2005
"Only we are left."
In Muzaffarabad:
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3 comments:
I agree. Pakistan has been put aside in our minds, I guess to due to our focus on the Tsunammi, Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Thanks for posting this, Ann. We need to be reminded of their needs, and for the most part, I believe many Americans (and others) can handle donating a bit more, even after Katrina.
Most Americans can afford donating a few dollars, and a guy in Seattle arranged with a survival-medicine company for Mercy Corps to be able to provide lightweight, nearly indestructible two-person survival blankets for $1 each. In other words, ONE DOLLAR COULD SAVE TWO LIVES. Here's a post about it with links and info.
Done, thanks for the link (though I wish they took PayPal...)
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