In June 2007 South-East and South-West parts of Balochistan were hit by severe floods.  At least 800,000 people were affected and many thousand homes were destroyed. About Rs. 120 million worth of infrastructural damages, especially to highways and other means of communication virtually cut the region off from the rest of the country. 135,048 hectares of agricultural land, including cropped areas and orchids, valued at Rs. 4,605 billion were badly damaged. Livestock worth about Rs. two billion was lost. 
                                                           
In the absence of prompt and adequate response by the government, SEHER in collaboration with some donor agencies intervened to provide immediate relief to the affected people . This effort covered the worst affected areas of Jaffarabad, Naseerabad, Turbat, Gwadar, and Kharan distracts by flood, while Ziarat District for Earthquake. A comprehensive relief program was put together and the following efforts may prove correctness of taking decisions of responding the emergencies.

Children and Women Protection Response in Flood Affected Areas:
Cyclone yemyin hit the shores of Paksitan (Balochistan and Sindh on 23 june 2007and followed by monsoon showers two day later bringing acute disaster in Balochistan. Flood has spread to 18 districts in Balochistan, out of 29 Districts.

Official estimates showed that flooding resulted in 176 deaths, 195 missions, 150,000 become homeless and around 2,000,000 areas affected .

Flood not only washed away the structures in the affected areas but also left the children and women with extreme vulnerabilities. Children witnessed mass destruction of life and property and immense fear of repeated disaster, which resulted in post disaster diseases, including truma and psychological distress. Hence SEHER selected 6 UCs (1) Baghtail2) Karaianferri 3) Sibi Jadeed 4)  Noshki Jadeed 5) Ghandakha 6) Bagh Head) in district Jaffarabad, which were severely affected by flood. SEHER not only focused the Psycho-social support and rehabilitation of the affected children and women in all 10 affected UCs, but also supported them with food and non-food items . SEHER immediately established 10 children and women friendly spaces, on in each targeted UCs and evolved all its activities around it. Although there was one only one CFS in each UC, but SEHER mobile teams were operating from there and focusing all the villages of each UC. Altogether SEHER was focusing 66000 people of 9000 households from 360 villages of the affected UCs of Nasirabad and Jaffarabad Districts following table may exhibit the quantum and intensity of the intervention in a better way.

Teacher’s Psychosocial Counselling Training for Psychological well being of the flood affected children 
Disasters, man made or natural, have traumatic impact on the affected ones, particularly children. This underscores the importance of psychosocial support to children for their psychological well being and restoration of their normal lives. In crisis situations a good source of psychosocial support can be teachers who could supplement early recovery activities and help students cope with the aftermath of the disaster. SEHER, with UNICO’s Technical and UNICEF’s Financial Support, supplemented the recovery activities with the training of 376 school teachers using the cluster approach so that the children could go back to schools as soon as possible and the teachers were fully equipped to deal with their own and their students trauma.

Emergency Response to The flood Afflicted people of Gwadar District Gwadar was one of the worst hit areas because it is located at the southern coast of Balochistan  The entire city was submerged.  Infrastructural damage made the city largely inaccessible causing severe deficiency of food, medicines and other necessities of life.

SEHER responded by generating maximum funds through camps and campaigns, appeals to local and international philanthropists and almost all the donor agencies. However, some were slow to realize the gravity of the situation and remained largely unconcerned.  Others were quick to respond.  With a rewarding collaboration with Line-Departments, local NGOs and CBOs, SEHER was able to identify the most vulnerable families and distributed food non-food items.

Emergency Response to the flood Affected Areas of Kharan
A major source of livelihood in the flood affected areas of district Kharan is agriculture and livestock. Both were devastated by the floods. Heavy loss of agricultural fields and grazing lands destroyed livelihood sources and created serious nutritional deficiency amongst livestock reducing their productivity. Further, the floods rendered surviving livestock to increased probability of parasitic infestation and outbreak of diseases. The non-availability of appropriate fodder and drinking water resulted in cattle losing their vitality and ability to maintain a strong immune system.  This made them vulnerable to various diseases, weight loss, reduction in milk production and even death. Due to the flood, affected communities lacked the financial resources to buy medicines for de-worming of livestock, which is necessary to maintain the health and quality of cattle.  To support the flood affected communities, it was important to provide them with essential processed feed and medication needed for the health and quality of their livestock and for the revitalization of the communities’ livelihoods.

SEHER, with financial and technical support of Relief International, WFP and FAO extended its support and provided food to flood affected families and processed feed, sorghum seeds and medicines for vaccination and de-worming of their large and small ruminants so that the ruminants could survive until fodder crops were harvested, grazing was restored, and food security for the families secured.  SEHER’s on-going services assisted 12,500 families and provided processed seeds and vaccination to 100,000 small ruminants and 12,500 large ruminants.

Emergency Response to the earthquake affected areas:
On 29th Dec 2008 the south-western areas of Balochistan Ziarat, Khanozai and Peshin were hit by a massive earthquake having magnitude of 6.4. The severe jolt resulted in death of 316 people

The disaster resulted destroying hundreds of homes in the area and causing 316 deaths and 350 injured. Over 70,000 people, including 30,000 children, have been left homeless in quake-hit Balochistan. In district Ziarat more than 160 casualties have been recorded with more than 500 people injured. The number of houses damaged in Ziarat is approximately 2,500, Displacing an estimated population of 17,500 (total population of the district is 100,000). 

SEHER’s Response
SEHER Society for empowering Human Resource responded and initiated its relief activities from the very second day of disaster in Ziarat. At initial stage SEHER Team provided COOKED FOOD, MEDICAL SERVICES, cloths, blankets, health & hygiene kits, milk, juices, packed readymade food, and cereals.
The effected people from far away and unreachable villages were neglected in provision of relief so SEHER reach out these people and provided them the basic human needs in disaster.

Child Protection Efforts
Team felt a dire need to protect children and provide them psychosocial support to make them able to cope with the trauma in constructive way. SEHER initiated COMMUNITY BASED CHILD PROTECTION PROJECT with the financial and technical support to strengthen the community led support mechanism and provide an enabling environment to the children where they can develop to their optimum potent ion. 14 child Friendly Spaces, 11 inclusive learning friendly classrooms, were established to provide children psychosocial support, make them learn techniques of Disaster risk Reduction, and able them to learn in a more creative and constructive way. 20 women & man child Protection groups, and 20 child clubs were formed to strengthen the protection mechanism. 632 male and female children were registered in Child friendly spaces, 445 girls and boys were registered at inclusive learning friendly classrooms and 128 out of school children were enrolled in the result of Back to School campaign.

The impacts of project resulted as well organized, creative, confident, empowered, healthy, expressive, communicative, and psychologically well children in the targeted villages. The community is equipped with the knowledge and information regarding child protection and in position to actively play their role. Children groups were well organized, aware of their rights and responsible for protection child rights in their respective village. 

Focusing Education
While the basic right of children EDUCATION was not neglected and SEHER execute a project named as EDUCATION & PROTECTION for EARTHQUAKE AFFECTED CHILDREN of ZIARAT. At the initial stage 30 Temporary Learning Centers in Ziarat district and 8 in Harnai District. 827 girls and 1028 boys were benefited and provided alternative learning facility, recreational services, and opportunity for creative expression and learning to cope with trauma. In the targeted villages, parents teachers school management committees and women village education committees were strengthened and reformed to able them participate in educational activities.

Psychosocial Support
The second phase of the project provided psychosocial support in 40 villages of Ziarat district, building capacity of 60 government school teachers, formed 40 children groups, and construct 22 transitional School Shelters.
Six transitional school shelters were constructed with the support of UNESCO to revive the education system for children. These Shelters were equipped with child friendly play ground, WES facilities, and furniture, teaching and reading materials. The children were provided with school shoes and bags.

After completion of the construction, attendance of teachers & students, participation of children in creative learning, and better utilization of stationary and equipment was ensured. The children groups to create awareness and protect child rights were formed and made responsible.  

Hence SEHER responded the emergency with Technical and Financial Support of UNICEF, Save the Children Sweden and various local philanthropists. As two UCs (Union Council kuch and UC Kawas) were badly affected. House and public buildings were either completely collapsed or in a very dangerous conditions in which living was not possible. The necessities of life were either lost or under the debris. Hence SEHER decided to start its relief work from provision of cooked food and food supplement for children. Later on, the sphere of activities was expanded to child protection and inclusive education in the areas. Following table may exhibit efforts in ore describable way: 

Relief Services at a Glance

• 2,000 vulnerable children, 3,000 adolescents, 1,000 women were prioritized for relief assistance and protective services in their communities