Sabina volunteered to help set up the women’s CO and told Islamic Relief how women have to travel miles every day to collect water and carry it back over steep mountain paths. She was determined to use the CO to solve the water problem and managed to convince other women that it was possible.

Braving the disapproval of most of the men, the CO members worked on the project with Islamic Relief’s water and sanitation experts. “No-one believed we could solve the water problem because they hadn’t managed it in all these years,” said Sabina. “The men weren’t willing to help so we took turns and dug out rocks, gravel, and sand from the river and carried it on our heads. That was the hardest bit, but we managed to do it,” said Sabina.

By the time to project was well underway, the men finally relented and changed their minds about the CO. The water project turned out to be a great success, giving every house in the village a water pump, providing clean water for drinking and washing.
For Sabina and the female members of the Bun Chattar CO, their biggest achievement was not solving the water problem but standing up for what they believe and having faith in their own abilities.” After forming the CO we realised that if we all got together we could solve our problems,” said Sabina. “Before this we had no-one to guide us. In fact, we women were not even considered human. Now, for the first time, we have achieved some kind of acknowledgement and recognition in the world.”

Since this initial success, the Bun Chattar’s Women’s CO has gone from strength to strength. Its more recent projects include training members in vegetable cultivation, poultry raising and tailoring. All of these activities generate an income which the CO saves to use for future community projects.
Islamic Relief runs similar CO’s in many villages in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, helping communities to play an active part in their own development.

Find out more about Islamic Relief's Water and Sanitation projects

Find out more about Islamic Relief in Pakistan