I woke early this morning to that unmistakable sound made by a straw broom sweeping away the leaves and rubbish on a road. It was early, it was dark, it was cool and other than the sound of scraping straw, it was quiet as we set off from the city on our way to the village of Nathiagali - a tourist mecca high up in the mountains.During summer both national and international tourists flock to the little village partly because of the amazing natural beauty, but also because of its cooler climate. About 2 hours from Islamabad the road approach is litterred with rocks and debris from innumerable landslides that obscure half the road, leaving the vehicles to squeeze through a narrow neck of road that drops off to the valley. Around the hairpin bends we slow to dodge a donkey train, a family of monkeys, or a group of school kids walking to school.
It is beautiful scenery, and I imagine that in winter, when covered in snow, it's a picture perfect view to rival any alpine scene in Europe. But below this tourist dream, lie numerous mountain villages, home to families that have lived and survived off their ancestral heritage since the Moguls conquered the land. These are villages difficult to access, some inaccessible by vehicle. They are desperate for water, for health and education facilities. In winter they are cut off from resources. It is quite a paradox that it is desperately hard to survive in this apparent paradise.
There are so many stories that could be told of the way in which lives are being transformed by the project interventions I have come to see. But just a couple of quick snapshots:
- In one village they are now growing their own vegetables and as a result they have not had to get to a market, or spend limited funds to buy this season.
- In this 'fairly' conservative Muslim area, women were confined to the village, but as a result of awareness programs and community dialogue women "feel confident to go outside the village, to attend training in the village, to walk children to school, to shop and to sell". Through specific skills training they are making candles, tailoring clothes, tending goats - and through awareness programs and entrepreneurship training they are identifying markets to sell their produce. For the first time they are making an income that has not only raised their self-esteem, but built the social capacity of the community and raised the standard of living for children.
There is much more that needs done. But the biggest thing that they are grateful for: "you have raised our awareness and now we know who to talk to, how to talk, and we can speak for ourselves". Lives are being transformed by the sharing of hope.
