Sabiha Khatoon collects clean water from a pump installed in her village by the NGO Concern, with funding from the UK.

Her village, in Pakistan's Sindh Province, was devastated by the floods last year, with most of the mud (kichar) homes washed away and crops and livestock lost. People who lived in the village had to flee their homes when the flood waters arrived in the middle of the night, leaving everything behind and moving away to safer areas - some going to emergency tented camps and others going to stay with family in towns and cities across Sindh.

“In March we were approached by Concern about building a brick house for us. We had to show papers to prove the land was ours then they agreed to help build us a house. We are very happy about this because if Concern and DFID hadn’t helped us, we’d be in the hot sun in our tents.

“We also received fertilizer and seeds, and new hand pumps. Clean water means it is now easy to get clean drinking water and we can wash our clothes daily, and we can grow seeds given to us. We are growing sagar, we will make bread from it. We are very thankful to people in the UK for the help they gave us.”

To find out more about how the UK is helping in Pakistan, please visit: www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Features/2011/Pakistan-floods-...

Image credit: Vicki Francis/Department for International Development

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