Email to Mum and Dad, December 19th

Dear Mum and Dad,

(note here for them to take my library books back!!)

Today I went tout to one of the smaller camps here in Islamabad. I t is on a local sports ground and has about 1000 people staying there. There were lots of children and everyone was so hospitable. They are living in tents with no floors, no heating and not enough blankets. Scabies has broken out, and while they have enough medicine they don't have hot water or enough showers so can't treat them yet. I was invited into a family's tent to have tea with them, and the grandson had scabies and was scratching like mad and his mother has them too. The two English guys (Ed and Steve) I met played cricket outside with the boys and the men, and I held hundreds of babies and smiled and drank tea. They also served me some WFP biscuit things and a boiled egg! My stomach isn't doing so well! Apart from having no homes and no jobs, most of these people didn't have savings either. It is strange some for the things they have with them that they could bring. They also have a lot of stress and trauma issues, with them not willing to go into buildings or be parted from their children. Some of the women, who are about my age, have started a school and take the children to play games in the evenings to give the parents a break. There were also quite a few newborn babies too. Its strange, none of them know when they will go back or really what to do now. Many of the sons have gone back to see if they can help in Kashmir and go back and forth.

Tomorrow I am going to UNICEF to fill out insurance stuff, and then should be in Musaffarabad after that. The camps here are enormous but the ones up there are supposed to be even bigger. The whole city has signs and directions to camps and so many different aid agencies. Its like a carnival has come to town!

Talk soon,

Love,

Dion