Pakistan Army praises
Salesian relief effort in Hyderabad (Pak)
LAHORE: 12 September 2010 -- The Muslim Eid celebrations
throughout
Pakistan have been very low-key and without the traditional fanfare.
Eid has been celebrated with fear as well. Reports are still to be
confirmed of attacks on Christians in Quetta and other localities of
the country amid the row over the threatened burning of the Koran in
the US. But we know in the Don Bosco Technical Centre of Lahore that
many families will have a smile in their faces thanks to so many donors
who have made possible a large-scale operation to reach out to 30,000
people plus in a few days.
The days might have been few but
they were definitely very intense… As happened at the time of the
Northwest Frontier Earthquake, Don Bosco
has led the large-scale Outreach Project of emergency relief thanks
to the operational capability that 170 boarders in the Hostel can
allow. The work has been done in cooperation with the Pakistani Army
who came personally to retrieve about 2,000 Family Bags with about
50Kg of food in each at the Hyderabad Cathedral. Another 700 bags were
delivered to the different Parishes of the Diocese as a contribution
for the tribal people affected by the floods, especially in the
Franciscan settings. And a large convoy with 8 tracks loaded with
a further 1,200 bags were carried and delivered personally to the
different camps of IDPs, always under the escort and protection of
the Army.
Fr Miguel Angel, the Rector at Lahore, said that he
must personally praise the role the Army is having in this
crisis as it is the institution with more credibility in the country.
"As the General who welcomed and briefed as in the Camp told us 'What
you do today is a great contribution and Pakistan will never forget it.
If it brings a smile just to one human being, I am sure it has been
well
worth all the work of the past days…'. And he was absolutely right… We
saw many beautiful smiles that paid back one full week of work,
work,
work to have everything ready. Our 30 youths have now become heroes in
the Christian Community, have received uncounted praises from Muslim
authorities and, what is more important, have built important bridges
of tolerance and respect between peoples of different faiths: Hindus,
Muslims and Christians.
It is time now to plan for the rehabilitation stage
which will be once
again done in coordination with the Army and where other Congregations
and Orders, after seeing the work done in Sindh, are ready to come on
Board. Don Bosco leads the way once again. We will not fail to those
most in need!
(Miguel has prepared a very fine pictorial account of the floods in the
Sindh Province and the relief work. We are adding it gradually to
sdb.org in a new 'experiences'
section under the Missions Department tab). _________________ AustraLasia is an
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