What's New at Barakat | Media

Malaria Net Distribution Happens in India!

On November 15^th, the highly anticipated malaria nets were distributed in Bhadohi, India. As we described last month, malaria continues to be a huge problem for families, especially in places with heavy rainy seasons like India. In an effort to combat this problem, Barakat, in association with the Care and Fair School in Bhadohi, fundraised and organized a distribution of bed-nets for students. Last week, this distribution happened to the delight of everyone there. As a result of everyone’s hard work, three hundred nets were distributed, along with textbooks which use pictures to describe transmission and dangers of malaria to students and their parents.

Livelihood Generation Project Begins in Pakistan

Recently in Pakistan, hundreds of women streamed into Attock without ears or mouths. These women were not disfigured in the literal sense, but as a result of being forced from their homes by the disastrous August floods, they have been stripped of their communicative abilities. They are illiterate, unable to speak Urdu, the dominant language in Attock, and had to flee their homes empty-handed, all their possessions having been lost in the waters. 75 families came to Attock when their own villages were decimated in the flood: across Pakistan the number of refugees becomes exponentially bigger. Now these women and their families have settled in Attock and are trying their best to adjust to their new community

Barakat Pakistan has been on tirelessly working towards settling the refugee families, distributing cash stipends for housing and placing their children in school. Since the immediate problems of settling the refugees have been taken care of, Barakat is trying to find jobs for refugee parents so that they can continue to rebuild their lives. Thanks to a grant of $25,000 from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), Barakat has been able to assemble a Livelihood Generation Program for refugees in Attock. This program designates a Livelihood Coordinator to oversee job placement for refugees and see that they continue to have work to support their families.

Malaria in India: Education is Needed

Malaria is a preventable and curable disease. But each year, over one million people around the world die from it! These two facts stress the importance of addressing the malaria issue, especially in high-risk areas. In the unrelenting heat of Uttar Pradesh in India, where Barakat has had a presence since 2004, malaria is an immediate and very dangerous concern. Malaria is widely known to be spread through infected mosquitoes in pools of stagnant water like rice-fields or even hoof prints in the ground. Despite the fact that malaria medications are available free of charge in government hospitals, problems with infrastructure and lack of education often keep efforts to control the disease from being successful. The malaria threat is especially prevalent in pregnant women and children, whose weaker immune systems give the disease an opportunity to make its way into the blood stream.

At the Polls in Afghanistan: Educated Women Vote!

On September 18^th, as the rest of the world watched, fingers all over Afghanistan were stained for political participation. While watching the progress of the elections, did you wonder about the voting experience in Afghanistan? Can you imagine voting without being able to read? How would you know who to vote for or how to approach a complicated paper ballot? Would voting even seem worth it? We caught up with two women, both students in Barakat's literacy courses, who proudly participated in this year's voting process.

Shareen, 45 and Gulalay, 35, took an interest in Afghan politics and voted in the recent elections.

Shareen has been following politics in Afghanistan since elections were established after the Taliban fell in 2001.“When the Taliban was in power, women were not aware of politics and there was no opportunity for them to think about these things,” says Shareen.