"It has been a challenge from day one to respond to this emergency because of the high terrain, culture, security — all the challenges you can imagine," said Marvin Parvez, director of Church World Service-Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS-P/A). Church World Service, a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, has been rushing to meet the needs of thousands of survivors in camps and mountain villages. Since the quake, special attention has been placed on survivors at higher altitudes that will soon be cut off by winter weather and snow. Relief supplies provided to survivors so far have put thousands of people in a better position to get through the winter.

The focus for the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum is how to support survivors through the winter. The main issue, Parvez said, is "how do we meet these challenges of winterization, especially at 5,000 feet, with snow all over the place, and with winds so strong."

Shelter has been a major concern. There has been a distribution of 19,000 tents and 6,130 sheets in the past three months, as well as other winter essentials including approximately 43,000 jumpers and blankets.

"Assessment and monitoring teams in the affected areas, especially in remote areas, were noticing that children had no hats, shoes, or socks for their heads and feet — two of the most vulnerable areas of the body," said Parvez. ACT members have provided funds for the purchase and distribution of some of these items.

Many mountain residents have relocated to camps in the valleys, and CWS is working to supply these camps with blankets, plastic sheeting and warm clothing, as well as helping to make water and sanitation facilities available.

Although there are still many weeks of harsh weather ahead, Parvez reported that some residents in camps for displaced people are already looking forward to the future.

Psychosocial teams working with men's and women's groups in the camps have organized meetings to motivate residents and have held regular meetings with men to encourage them to think about reconstruction of their homes and villages. "We're talking and planning for how to rebuild houses. The recovery plans of CWS are in place," Parvez said. "We're talking to people about accompanying and supporting them through the rebuilding process."

While trying to address other concerns such as accessing remote villages and providing medical care, the immediate task, according to Parvez, is trying as much as possible to assist people and keep them warm, which is "an uphill task this winter."

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance recently sent an additional $200,000 from One Great Hour of Sharing and funds designated for Pakistan to help with the relief described by Marvin Parvez.

• PDA also sent $200,000 to Pakistan to assist 1,200 families with food packages and health and hygiene kits, and to provide reconstruction materials to 500 severely affected families in the Sindh Province that were devastated by floods in the summer of 2005.
• The Pakistan Humanitarian Forum was formed in 2003 to coordinate and strengthen the efforts of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) working in disaster management. The forum collectively represents INGOs to the Government of Pakistan.

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