A Belfast charity worker in Pakistan has visited a school where over 320 people are being forced to shelter, after losing their homes in the recent floods.
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By David O'Hare in Pakistan
"I believe teaching is a vital service but so is helping my people in times like these in whatever way I can."
Things have not gone to plan for Fayyaz Hussein in the last few weeks. This local headmaster in the town of Kotri in southern Pakistan was preparing to reopen the Sindhi Main School for his pupils at the start of August.Then the floods hit.
"Instead of my pupils, I now have 66 families living here in the school - over 320 people," Fayyaz told me.
"They are from the area surrounding the town and they lost their homes when the floods hit. They had nowhere else to go so they are staying here.
"The school was never designed for this, but at least the people here are safe."
All over this region, schools are being used as refuges from the floodwaters. School principals have been made 'camp managers'. There are huge problems facing Fayyaz.
"There are up to six families living in each classroom and the conditions are very cramped," he explained.
"The five toilets we have are unable to cope with this amount of people, so their use has been limited to the women and children. The men have to use an open latrine.
"The children have nowhere to play safely.
"I am trying to look after people's registration so they can receive government rations, as well as organise medical, health and hygiene support. I have two health visitors who come every day and that is a great help."
Fayyaz said that one of the most pressing issues was food.
"The government rations come twice a day for the people here but are not adequate and we are afraid that they will stop soon altogether," he told me.
"Trócaire has been supplementing the government rations with emergency food parcels for the people here and this support has been really invaluable."
When I asked him what he thinks will happen in the next few months, Fayyaz replied: "Things are bad here right now, but the real challenges will begin when these people go back home and have to try to start again."
Trócaire is providing emergency food rations to the people in this school and others across the region. This assistance will help them get over this current crisis and Trócaire will be with the people here as they struggle to rebuild their lives in the years to come.
David O'Hare works for Trócaire in Belfast. His updates from Pakistan are being serialised for UTV's website. More information on the relief effort in Pakistan, including how to donate, can be found on Trócaire's website.
© UTV News