Parts of Pakistan continue to struggle one year after catastrophic floods ravaged parts of the country. Some 27,000 schools were destroyed, and many remain closed due to a lack of clean water and sanitation. According to UN figures, 2 million children have not returned to the classrooms.
Category
๐
NewsTranscript
00:00 When the floods hit last year, Kunj and her family had no choice but to leave their home.
00:08 Her entire life uprooted.
00:10 What the 10-year-old missed the most was going to school.
00:14 As water receded, the family returned back to their home in a village in southern Sindh
00:20 province of Pakistan.
00:22 Things are finally getting back to normal.
00:25 Kunj's morning now starts with preparing for her school.
00:29 Her old school in the village is still damaged from the flood water, which means she has
00:34 to walk 3-4 km to reach her new school in another village.
00:39 She sometimes joins a group of other girls from her village.
00:43 Walking together is safer.
00:48 My studies were going really well.
00:50 Then we were suddenly hit by floods.
00:54 After that, I was unable to meet my friends.
00:58 I cried a lot.
00:59 I used to miss my home and my school.
01:07 This is the only operational school in the vicinity of four villages.
01:11 One reason parents are now sending their children and especially girls to the school is because
01:16 the school has toilet facilities.
01:19 The flood water had destroyed the boundary walls of the school and also the toilets.
01:28 When we opened the school, only a hundred students were coming and no girls were there.
01:34 When we spoke to the parents, they said they can't send their girls here if the toilets
01:39 had no boundary walls.
01:47 While male teachers and students can use bushes as makeshift toilets, it is culturally unacceptable
01:53 for girls.
01:54 Without proper toilet facilities, the safety of girls is at risk.
01:59 They can face harassment and also diseases like cholera.
02:03 A few months ago, the school management was able to build separate toilets for girls with
02:08 the help of local NGOs.
02:11 Clean running water in a school is a rare blessing in the region.
02:15 The girls have been taught cleanliness practices to ensure they don't fall sick.
02:24 This school in a nearby village has been completely damaged.
02:29 Walls washed away, toilets and furniture completely destroyed.
02:35 This was the only school for the local community.
02:41 If this school had been rebuilt, if it had washroom facilities, then the girls from this
02:47 village wouldn't have to travel for long.
02:51 It's really warm and there are incidents of stray dogs biting people.
02:55 So it's important that the schools in local villages become functional and easier for
03:01 girls to reach.
03:07 Missing out on education is still a reality for many in the region.
03:14 Because there are no toilets in the school, my mother asked me not to attend the school.
03:22 Thousands of damaged schools means the future of an entire generation is at risk.
03:27 And every effort counts in ensuring a bright future, at least for some of the students.
03:33 (laughter)