Blanket coverage for Eid, as temperatures plummet
Two days into the trip and I have diarrhoea and a growing sense of futility at the scale of the task ahead which is only tempered by the fact that I know to do nothing would be criminal.
Anything is better than nothing and with the help of the international community, the flood affected people of Sindh will be the ones who drag themselves out of this calamity and on to better things.
The diarrhoea I can do something about, I am not malnourished or otherwise sick and have easy access to clean water and medicine if necessary. The sense of futility is harder to get over but that's the job and comes with the territory. Muslims across the world celebrate Eid this weekend.
Our last distribution before the weekend are these blankets - something special for people to receive for this festive period but also so desperately needed.
The temperatures are already dropping - it is already probably around 18 to 20C in Swat at night and by December it will be 0 and January in the minus degrees with lots of snow.
The Malakand Pass which is the road access to Swat will be closed by snow, sometimes for up to two months and in general it is extremely cold. People are already thinking ahead so these blankets will be well received.
Saleen.
Read more about HelpAge's work in Pakistan.
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