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Muzaffarabad homeowner, Raza (right) stands along a USAID-employed tractor driver who is clearing the road in front of his earthquake-destroyed home. (Photo by USAID)

USAID Helps Bring Families Home

Islamabad - Raza, a resident of Muzaffarabad, lost his home and Internet café business in the October 8 earthquake. Most homes in his neighborhood, the city's central business district, were leveled or made uninhabitable. Raza and his family, along with many of his neighbors, left Muzaffarabad to live with friends or family in other cities in Pakistan.

Thanks to USAID and the International Organization for Migration's rubble removal program, Raza has returned to Muzaffarabad and will soon bring his family back to their home from Rawalpindi. The narrow streets and back alleys of the business district are being rapidly cleared and tractors are carrying away the rubble from the road in front of his house. Now it will be easier for Raza to clear the rubble off his lot and build a home for his family.