SEI in Charsadda

Photographs: Courtesy Maryam Raza Zaidi

Visit to Nowshera

While the Pakistani media has more than overwhelmed us with heart-wrenching footage and pleas for donations, I can only say that one cannot possibly realize the extent of the devastation until one sees it with ones own eyes. Monsoon will soon end, as will rescue efforts but these people will need us more so when they begin to rebuild their lives, overcome disease and battle hunger - their hopes rest solely on people like us. In the camp that we visited this Friday, while some families are settled in cemented units that were meant to be workshops, most spend their nights in tents under the open sky, without clean water and electricity. Please keep the donations coming, this is not a one time effort, we need to be on our feet constantly. We owe this to our people.

Children of the Floods

Shajar-e-Ilm's officers and volunteers just returned from a relief mission in Nowshera, one of the most devastated areas in the wake of unprecedented flooding in Pakistan. Below are some images we captured of children suffering in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Donation Collection Appeal--Shajar-e-Ilm

Pakistan has been hit by a most devastating natural disaster in recent days, with unprecedented flooding. The number of people suffering from the massive floods in Pakistan could exceed the combined total in three recent mega disasters - the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake - the United Nations said Monday, with an estimated toll of 13 million people affected.

Shajar-e-Ilm, along with civil society member in Islamabad, has been carrying out relief activities in the affected regions of the Swat Valley. First consignment of food/clothing was dispatched to Swat valley yesterday by members of civil society. Shajar-e-Ilm's own volunteers and officers will be traveling to the Swat Valley and other affected regions from Friday onwards to distribute family packs including atta, (wheat), ghee (butter), lentils, dry milk, sanitary napkins, soap, and water purifying tablets.

Now we are short on funds and need more money, immediately.

To contribute personally, contact the following persons:

Stanford: Asfadyar Ali Mir at alimir07@stanford.edu
Los Angeles: Madeeha Akhtar at madihah.akhter@gmail.com
Islamabad: Shiza Shahid at shiza.shahid@gmail.com
Lahore/Islamabad: Mariam Zaidi at mariamrzaidi@gmail.com
Lahore: Hamza Malik hamza_cancerian@hotmail.com
Islamabad: Myra Iqbal at myra.iqbal@gmail.com
Karachi: Nehel Khanani at nkhanani@gmail.com

For more information, keep checking:

www.shajareilm.org
http://shajareilm.blogspot.com/

Relief Efforts after Pakistan's Devastating Floods

by Shiza Shahid


Pakistan has been hit by it most devastating natural disaster in recent days, with unprecedented flooding. The number of people suffering from the massive floods in Pakistan could exceed the combined total in three recent megadisasters - the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake - the United Nations said Monday, with an estimated toll of 13 million people affected.

Shajar-e-Ilm is raising funds and will be personally distributing them in the affected regions of the Swat Valley. Volunteers will be travelling to the Swat Valley on Friday to disribute family packs including atta, (wheat), ghee (butter), lentils, dry milk, sanitary napkins, soap, and water purifying tablets. To contribute personally contact Shiza Shahid at shiza.shahid@gmail.com, Mariam Zaidi at mariamrzaidi@gmail.com, or Myra Iqbal at myra.iqbal@gmail.com

A matter of matter

The academic achievements of Dr. Abdus Salam are well-known and often cited. Now, the new generation of Pakistani researchers is also proving its mettle in the field of physics. Jamil Aslam, a young physicist at Quad-i-Azam university, has collaborated with colleagues at the German Center Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY) to write an exciting new paper. This may lead to the discovery of "new matter", if supported by planned experiments.

It is heartening to see a devotion to scholarly activity and to know that contrary to popular belief, there is definite scope for scientific research within Pakistan.

Image: Creative Commons, Flickr user nasafan1/MSFC

"Why did you do this?"

Madeeha Ansari

In this talk at TED, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy talks about the conditions in which this reservoir of suicide bombers has been created. Most of us know probably know these things, but it's quite a powerful bit of footage.

"And when God asks on the Day of Judgement, 'Why did you do this?'
He may be seeing the blood and the fire
And I will say: I have laid down my life in your name."