APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressing his Friday Congregration at the Historic Jama Masjid,Srinagar Kashmir
Srinagar, October 9, (Scoop News)_Stepping up its flood disaster response efforts, Dar-ul-Khair, Mirwaiz Manzil has launched a special initiative focused on helping some of the most needy families in Kashmir who lost their homes in the recent flood.
While Dar-ul-Khair has been doing whatever it could to help provide emergency relief to the flood-affected families – including rescue operations, distributing food and emergency supplies and running temporary relief and medical camps – the new initiative is focused on reconstruction and rehabilitation.
Addressing his Friday Congregation at the Historic Jama Masjid All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq elucidated, “With thousands upon thousands of Kashmiris rendered homeless as a result of the ravaging flood, there is an urgent need to help needy families rebuild their homes so that they can put their lives back together”.
“In this direction, we have decided to immediately initiate an intervention named the AKH AKIS (ALL TOGETHER) Initiative.The initiative is aimed at building homes, community and hope in Kashmir”, he added.
APHC leader said The AKH AKIS (ALL TOGETHER) Initiative will bring people together to help some of the most needy families rebuild their homes and, in the process, build and strengthen community and hope in Kashmir.
Combining both professional and voluntary efforts, the AKH AKIS Initiative, Mirwaiz said will adopt a community-based, community-led approach to mobilize and bring together Kashmiri expertise, resources and volunteers to collectively help some of the most needy families in Kashmir to rebuild their homes that were lost in the flood.
The target for the pilot / first phase of the AKH AKIS (ALL TOGETHER) Initiative is to help rebuild 50-100 homes.
Targeting some of the most economically disadvantaged localities that were most severely hit during the flood, the programme will seek to help some of the “neediest of the needy” families in Kashmir who have lost their homes in the recent floods.
The focus will be on identifying and supporting Kashmiri families who – due to poverty and other dire, special circumstances – are truly not in a financial and physical position to rebuild their homes on their own and who truly need the community’s financial help and physical support to do this.
In the process, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq justified that the initiative will build community and hope in Kashmir.
“The effort will truly be ‘akh akis” (i.e. all together). We are working to make the initiative as inclusive as possible.
Through a united effort and collective voluntary service of those who are in dire need, we will seek to further strengthen the sense of togetherness that has emerged in Kashmir after the flood disaster.
To carry out the pilot / first phase of the AKH AKIS INITIATIVE, Dar-ul-Khair needs to raise a total of INR 5.2 crore rupees to rebuild 100+ homes. The rough estimated cost for rebuilding a single home (a single story construction with two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom) is approximately INR 5.2 lac rupees.
Through bulk purchasing,volunteer contribution of time/effort and careful planning, costs will be further reduced so that even more homes can be built with the funds and materials collected.
Along with the appeal for donations, Dar-ul-Khair has also made an appeal for Kashmiris to contribute their time, talent/expertise and efforts as volunteers for the AKH AKIS (ALL TOGETHER)Initiative.
Volunteer participation –particularly by more professional experts and by youth is urgently required.
Expressing his concern over the renewed escalation of tensions on borders between India and Pakistan as highly explosive, APHC leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has appealed the leadership of both the nations to observe restraint on borders and LOC.
Mirwaiz also expressed his regret over the loss of life and property on the both sides of Line of Control across the state of Jammu and Kashmir, he said that people of Jammu and Kashmir have borne the major brunt of border tension between the two nations in terms of damage to the life and property.
Terming the lingering Kashmir dispute as the major cause of tension between the two nuclear armed neighbors-India and Pakistan,Mirwaiz said till the Kashmir issue is resolved instability and mistrust between the two countries cannot be addressed.
APHC leader said that the need of the hour was that India and Pakistan should restart the stalled dialogue process and involve the leadership of Kashmir also in order to find an amicable solution to the Kashmir dispute.(Scoop News)
SOURCE http://scoopnews.in/det.aspx?q=41488