IOM has opened a Housing Reconstruction Centre (HRC) in Abbottabad
district in NWFP to provide training to help people affected by the
October 2005 earthquake to rebuild earthquake-resistant houses in
rural areas.



The centre, which is co-funded by Ireland and UN Habitat, aims to
provide technical assistance to help home owners to reconstruct or
repair their damaged houses and to increase their awareness of safe
rebuilding techniques approved by the Earthquake Reconstruction and
Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA).



IOM teams of social mobilizers, engineers and master trainers based
in Abbottabad will identify affected people with training needs,
train artisans on seismically-resistant building techniques,
provide capacity building to local authorities and distribute
related information material in 15 union councils of the district.




In coordination with ERRA and under the supervision of UN Habitat
experts, four teams began visits to remote villages this week.



At the local level, the HRC will work in close cooperation with the
government District Reconstruction Unit (DRU.)



The project also aims to establish Village Reconstruction
Committees (VRCs) to ensure implementation of ERRA guidelines on
rural reconstruction and help the government's Assistance and
Inspection Teams (AITs) to address public complaints.



"The reconstruction centre will contribute towards ERRA's policy of
Build Back Better and help restore the long term stability of
affected communities," says project manager Arshad Rashid.



The union councils where reconstruction training, technical
assistance, capacity building and awareness raising programmes will
be implemented include Boi, Dalola, Kukmong, Dhamtour, Jhangi,
Beerangali, Nagri Bala, Namli Maira, Nathia Gali, Tajwal, Pattan
Kalan, Birote Kalan, Palak and Nambal.



IOM will implement programme activities in eight of the district's
15 union councils. Three partner organizations - Omar Asghar Khan
Development Foundation (OAKDF), SUNGI Development Foundation and
Inter Faith League Against Poverty (ILAP) - will provide support in
the other seven union councils.



Since early last year, when the first of 12 HCRs was established by
the government with support from UN Habitat, the centres have
helped to provide technical training to more than 25,000 artisans
in earthquake-resistant housing techniques.



For more information, please contact

Saleem Rehmat

IOM Pakistan

Tel: +92.300.8565967

Email: "mailto:srehmat@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">srehmat@iom.int