With financial support of the European Commission (ECHO) and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Malteser International will provide about 7,000 inhabitants of the remote Palas Tehsil in the district of Kohistan with winterized shelter, blankets, wood stoves and basic medical care until the middle of May 2006. The procurement and distribution of the relief items is done in cooperation with the local organisation PCDF (Palas Conservation and Development Federation). Next to the supply of winterized shelter the construction of a community health post for medical support for up to 5,000 families and in particular women is brought to the fore.

In cooperation with its Turkish partner organisation International Blue Crescent (IBC), Malteser International has provided 200 families in eight villages in the district of Bagh with winterized tents, blankets, mats and wood stoves. Two basic health care centres will be constructed in these settlements from the middle of March on. They will be provided with medicine and medical material as well. 

At the long term an important aim is to reactivate economic activities in the affected areas. For this it is crucial to restore infrastructure like irrigation canals as well as to give start-up-aid to the people in the form of seeds and animals to enable livelihood again. Income generating measures are supposed to flank the relief actions.
Next to numerous distribution programs in the frame of winter emergency relief, Malteser International provided the French field hospital in Muzaffarabad with 90 walking frames for injured earthquake victims already last november.