Post militancy: Helping orphans and widows cope with the loss of breadwinners

Many children were forced to quit school to support their families.

SWAT:

Militancy not only destroyed the social fabric in Swat, it also deprived many people of their loved ones.

Thousands of breadwinners were killed by bomb blasts, suicide attacks, target killings and cross-firing, leaving behind orphans and widows.

Shaizat, whose husband was killed in a suicide attack in 2009, is living in dire straits with her seven children. “My husband was a mason and he earned enough to take care of us,” she told The Express Tribune. “But the news of his death in a suicide attack shattered our world.”

“My son, who was studying in seventh grade, had to give up his education and take on the role of the breadwinner instead. He is now a day labourer and earns a nominal wage,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Monetary assistance was given to 250 widows and orphans under the Education Support for Orphan Sponsorship Programme initiated by Qatar Charity in collaboration with Khpal Kor Foundation, at a cheque-distribution ceremony at the non-governmental organisation’s office. Farzana and Nishad, two other widows, whose husbands were killed by the Taliban, were also among the beneficiaries.

“We are employed as domestic servants, washing dishes and clothes to earn a living. Life is not only hard but also tiresome now,” Farzana told The Express Tribune. They expressed their gratitude for the sponsorship.

“My husband was shot during curfew on May 5, 2009. I have no one, but a younger brother who I live with. We are surviving on a pension of Rs2,000 a month,” said Salima, who was widowed with three children.

“This programme aims to support the families of war widows who need special assistance for their children,” Imran Khan, a programme coordinator of Qatar Charity at Swat, told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2012.