Khawaja had put the training to good use and was growing enough vegetables on his land to feed his family and sell to others. He had set up his own vegetable shop in the village.
Then the earthquake struck.
Sorrow
“The earthquake shattered our lives,” said Khawaja. “For the first few months I could not pay any attention to my land because I was mourning the loss of my relatives, my house and the miseries that we were going through.
During this time, the vegetables in the field were eaten by the cattle in the area as no one could pay any attention to them.”
Immediately after the earthquake Islamic Relief provided Khawaja and hisfamily with essential relief items such as food and tents. A few weeks later he received a transitional shelter.
Seeds for the Future
When Khawaja was ready to start working on his land once more, Islamic Relief provided him with seeds so he could start growing vegetables.
“With the constant support of Islamic Relief I have been able to re-start my vegetable shop. By selling vegetables that I grow on a small piece of land I am making around 100 - 200 rupees per day. This at least fulfils our basic needs.”