August 27, 2010
West Ridge Cantonment, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Asalamu alaykum and Ramadan Kareem to all. I hope things are well with you and your families. I am having a wonderful experience here in Pakistan. Every day brings something new. Since I arrived last week, my husband and I having been trying to figure out the best way to distribute the zakat monies all of you have donated for flood relief. Alhamdulilah, I am happy to inform you that the bulk of the money was distributed today directly to eight needy families, seven in Rawalpindi and one in Haripur.

I’ve learned that many areas of the country were affected by the flood and the usual August monsoons as well. For example, in a very poor section of Rawalpindi called Lai, the water and sewer system is basically an open drain. Every seven years or so, it overflows, completely polluting the city water supply. This year, the water came up as high as the first floor shops and homes. People were ordered to evacuate their homes, but were given no assistance in finding shelter.

After a bit of research, we found out it would be both risky and nearly impossible to go directly to an area like Nowshera, which had gotten a lot of media coverage. Other areas of the country much closer to where I’m now staying have been equally affected by natural disaster and the general plight of the poor. Unemployment rates are sky high and the prices of everything from food to furniture are high when you consider the average person’s living. One lady we met was a widow raising three children on her salary of 7,000 rupees (rs) a month, which is about $83.00. The cost of basic sustenance food per person per day is about 130 rs and that is plain vegetable curry with no meat or even an egg and about 4 rotis.

We had some local friends direct us to some of the families hardest hit when the sewer overflowed into their neighborhood a month ago. We found several families living in tents on top of the mud and rubble of the city. One group of three sisters and their mom had about 20 children between them, most of them girls. Their husbands work as porters in the local market which was also flooded of course. The youngest sister had been set to get married, but most of her dowry was washed away by the flood. We gave 75,000 rs to this group.

Among their neighbors four widows, one with school age children and none with livable homes. They were given 55,000, 45,000 and 35,000 rs, depending on their immediate needs.

The balance of the donation monies is being given to two other destitute families in Haripur and Gharibabad district in Rawalpindi who will get 35,000 and 45,000 repectively. One of man is a widower with three children and the other supports and extended family and is the only wage earner for them. He is going to open business as a denter (someone who removes dents from car fenders, etc.) with the money he received.

If the amounts given seem large to you, please keep the exchange rate in mind. It fluctuates daily but seems to stay between 85.20 and 84.05 rs per dollar. The total amount distributed was 374,000 rs, or $4,400.