Home and harvest

The shelter was built using corrugated iron sheets distributed by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Opposite the shelter his son is at work building the family a new house, which they hope to have completed by winter.

“My son is building this new house right where the old house used to be before the earthquake,” Haji said. “It’s not fully completed, but we hope one day it will be ready, maybe even before winter. If not then we will have to stay in the temporary shelter we have created. The shelter is warm and dry and is near the house and is comfortable. To improve the house I have coloured the iron sheets we got from the Red Cross.”

To help people become self sufficient, and to avoid more families leaving their homes and travelling down to lower villages, the Red Cross also provided families in the village with seeds and tools. The villagers are looking forward to a plentiful harvest, in stark contrast to last year when the earthquake destroyed most of the crops.
 
“We are also growing crops next to our house and the women and children from my family attend to these,” Haji said. “The crops are from seeds given to us by the Red Cross such as ladyfingers and maize. Maize is an important crop for us as we use it to feed the animals and also for flour.”