Nadeem’s initial mercy visits to the devastated area of
Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the wake of this natural disaster
on October 8th 2005 were designed to provide aid to assist the
most needy as they struggled to cope with the harsh winter conditions
of the mountains.
On
his travels he reached the remote mountain village of Noon Bagla
which stands 6,500 feet above sea level. The disaster left it
in ruins with all 28 dwellings damaged or destroyed beyond repair.
Struck
by the plight of its people Nadeem decided to adopt the village
so that the AHS Foundation can work towards making significant
improvements to daily lives.
Why
did Nadeem choose Noon Bagla? A strange set of circumstances
led him to the village. His travelling companion, Azam Shah,
was a chef working for a friend of his from Doncaster. It had
been a terrible grief for Azam to discover that members of his
family, including his brother’s wife and son had been
among the 39 lost in this small isolated community. Little did
Nadeem know how deeply he was to become involved in the tragic
lives of this peaceful, close-knit community … or they
in his.
Initial
aid provided basic foodstuffs such as cooking oil, rice, flour,
salt, matches etc and was supplemented by much needed warm clothes
and blankets. Tents were also transported to the village to
help replace makeshift wooden and tin shelters, although one
year on these are largely the only shelters that people have.
AHS
has now purchased the land for a cottage hospital in Noon Bagla
and is busy raising the £100,000 needed to build the hospital
to serve this and 24 surrounding villages.
As the Foundation develops, it is hoped to increase the humanitarian
aid by providing more practical relief in the region and beyond,
with supporting infrastructure, ambulances and further cottage
hospitals.
Author Martin Sedgley, who edited ‘Earthquake’,
and has spent time amongst the villagers, describes the humanitarian
aspects of the Foundation:
“Always,
in my visits to Kashmir and Pakistan I felt completely safe
among these wonderful people with little to offer but brimming
with hospitality. Profound suffering remains a daily reality
for them and the depth of their grief is matched by the power
of their faith”
Inspiring
illustrations indeed of how such a cataclysm presents every
one of us with an opportunity to make a real difference in bridging
the divides of race, religion and geography.
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