Date: Apr 24, 2023
It was a typical morning in Tehsil Rojhan, District Rajanpur, with children playing merrily in the sun and livestock grazing in the shade of the trees. However, the peaceful atmosphere was quickly disturbed when an adult shouted "Flood!" in alarm. The villagers panicked as the water levels rose, and the entire slum area was soon submerged in the deluge. Mumtaz Mai, a 60-year-old widow of Kaychi Khan with her two young children aged 15 and 22 years old, were among the many who attempted to flee. Despite the chaos, they had no idea where to go for safety, and the family ran to an unknown destination with no guidance until they were rescued and moved to a safe location.
“I was shell-shocked and panicked,” told the sobbing Mumtaz Mai. “To see my house being rattled and demolished by these unforgiving waves was horrendous. It was the second biggest loss of my life after the death of my husband. Alas! If he had been here, he would have comforted and guided us through these tough times.”
“The first few weeks after the flood were horrifying as we were unable to cope with the situation and there was no ray of hope left in us. Praise be to God! Who sent us HDF team and with their help we were able to get shelter, food and medical attention.” told Mumtaz to the interviewer.
“I will never be able to repay the donors' generosity and kindness. I will be praying for them and HDF until the day I take my last breath.” Mumtaz exclaimed while pointing towards the under-construction house that was going to be her home, as tears of pure joy rolled down his cheeks. Mumtaz Mai and her two children are among the 13 families, whose house is being reconstructed through HDF’s APPNA Basti Initiative.
This disastrous flood might have taken a toll on their physical and mental health but their resilience is still alive and they hope that the help HDF is providing to these flood victims reaches everyone. This story is a call for support to all the effluents of the country to come forward and help in any shape or form so that their fellow countrymen might get what they have been hoping for. Your kind donations will help HDF - Human Development Foundation to rebuild their lives.