Earthquake Assistance:

Education Programs

Dosti teams knew that as families and communities faced the aftermath of the quake and rebuilding their lives, children would need special attention. They would need to have a safe and secure place to go, a routine to follow, and materials to stimulate their minds. With more than 10 years experience developing and operating schools in the Northwest Frontier Province, Dosti was ready to initiate child-centered programming in camps that were emerging throughout the region.

Dosti’s connections to government officials and community leaders make it a natural partner for other international relief agencies who are committed to developing educational programs in the quake region. UNICEF is currently supporting 25 schools through DOSTI while MercyCorps has partnered with DOSTI for one school.

Schools are set-up in winterized 20- by 18-foot tents, large enough to accommodate 30-40 children plus one to two adults. Tents are upgraded to semi-permanent facilities (with walls and corrugated metal roofs) as resources allow. Teachers are hired locally from the village camp and are trained by social work professionals to deal with trauma in children. All supplies and materials in the schools are provided by Dosti.

The following is a breakdown of our accomplishments to date:

• Collected data on destroyed schools in Balakot for UN and coordinated the building of temporary schools with local officials and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• Established a total of 60 multi-age, informal classrooms and centers serving more than 2400 children in Balakot, Kohistan Moor, Battal, Ghazikote, Jabori, and in several villages of Mansehra.
• Through a partnership with UNICEF, set up 65 temporary classrooms for approximately 3500 children in Mansehra district.
• Facilitated school emergency response teams of children, parents, and teachers to deal with aftershocks and future earthquakes or other disasters.