Beyond the Media Spotlight:
SFY’s Two-Day Mission to Restore Dignity in Remote Shangla
Focusing on Khwarhbanda, Shangla
The unprecedented flood events had an enormous impact on the lives of people across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. While media attention and focus was solemnly on the main cities like Buner and Swat, the devastation also lingered in remote villages like Khwarhbanda, Shangla, a remote community which is sidelined and often beyond the reach of larger aid because of its rough terrain in mountainous regions. The true toll isn’t just measured in destroyed homes or lives but also is measured in the absence of normalcy of daily life.
Local Affected underscored the losses caused by the floods in that area;
“This Khwarhbanda area has suffered immense damage. There have been storms and floods. My maternal uncle’s children and grandchildren, two of his sons are gone, and 25 to 26 people are gone in total. Nine are swept away from one single house which were my aunt’s children and her grandchildren.
– Local Affected
Ours is a story of local leaders, youth, students and teachers from multiple different cities across Punjab and KPK transforming classrooms into assembly lines for aid, and of local community members rising not as victims, but as leaders. At the Society for Youth (SFY), we mobilized a network of 26 dedicated leaders and volunteers who contributed 1,200+ hours of work, dedicated to reach the hardest terrain, most-sidelined community “Khwarhbanda, Shangla”. Our #FloodResponseInitiative2025 is proof that when people come together, dignity and hope can be restored.
But endeavoring to reach this site was all the more necessary, considering the immense harm it had caused. A local female recalled as she received treatment;
“My brother and one of my nieces/sisters were almost swept away by the rising floods. Our shops, our gardens and machinery, our electricity systems, and our entire land have been destroyed.“
– Local Affected Female
One of our other SFY Leader, Jamal Rahman highlighted the need and urgency in the flood-affected areas;
“Most organizations neglected Shangla. Although a cloud burst occurred here as well, the nearby Buner district became much more prominent. Many organizations and teams went to visit Buner, but Shangla was neglected. Perhaps only two organizations have visited Shangla so far, and SFY is included among them.”
– Jamal Rahman (SFY Leader)
On the Frontlines: The Khwarhbanda Mission
Our strategy isn’t isolated acts of charity; it’s a more coordinated and constructed approach which is multi-pronged effort. This project was a difficult and demanding two-day operation that took us to a total of 12 hours one way to reach Khwarhbanda, Shangla, a mountainside village with rough terrain where normal vehicles could not reach. After a long journey and an overnight stay, our teams had to hike another steep mountain to reach the distribution site, demonstrating our team’s commitment and efforts to access.
Another woman shared,
“Nineteen people from our area are gone. Floods have hit 150 houses, but most affected are 31…completely destroyed. It started from the upper side at 8 o’clock and reached here at 9 o’clock…… First, it swept over one side and then the other and then the third hitting most of the village.“
– Local Affected Female
The flood’s devastation is not only material, but also the human cost and the associated trauma that lingers in survivors as they strive to rehabilitate their lives.
Healing Hands: Critical Care for the UnderservedSFY, in partnership with local organizations like Al Islah Center and the crucial support of Riaz Ahmed, our medical teams established a camp and treated 382 patients, nearly 2/3 being children and women. Providing critical care for infections, injuries, and dehydration. Beyond a simple consultation, these camps are a strategic bulwark against a public health crisis. Our medical teams immediately supplied necessary medications and treatments to halt the spread of widespread post-flood illnesses, specifically addressing the high prevalence of Diarrhea, skin infections, and throat infections identified by the medical team.
What may seem ordinary, everyday life services, became critically needed care items on our agenda.
“My role in this project was in the medicine field. In that capacity, various people were coming to us, who had different injuries, skin diseases, and eye diseases. Besides this, they had other problems as well. This area is located very far from the main road. The internet is also an issue here, which is why the area is not widely known.”
– Mumtaz (SFY leader)
Doctors and volunteers, including Dr. Saad-ur-Rehman, Dr. Ihtisham Khan, and Dr. Sajjad Ahmed, provided critical care. Most common among the people served were eye and skin infections, throat infections in children, Diarrhea, and digestive issues.
It also brings to attention the aspect of continued rehabilitation efforts. The needs are vast, and area is tough to visit as our teams documented key needs. But most of all, this is an effort to invest in shared communities of care; Awais Ahmad, reflected that
“When we cured the people here and delivered ration, clothes, and essential items to them, those people felt very happy. This is because they had never seen anything like this before. Most of the people there were those who had never received aid previously.”
– Awais Ahmad (SFY Leader)
Clothes, Shoes and Human Care in Crisis
The floods stripped away more than just possessions; they took a sense of self. Clothing isn’t just about protection from the elements; it’s about dignity, normalcy, and self-respect. Our clothes drive was an act of profound care. We distributed 500 items to 311+ people across Khwarhbanda, Shangla. These items included female clothing, male clothing, Children clothing, plus pairs of shoes and accessories (shawls, jackets, coats, etc.). But we didn’t just hand out bundles. Our volunteers meticulously sorted, repaired, and packaged garments by age and need, ensuring every recipient received a full, respectful kit packaged with dignity. In moments of such fracture, aid and relief activities must be evermore intentional in restoring dignity, and respect. It has been a core value in our work. But more than that- it’s about holistic care.
“That time was very difficult; the conditions were extremely severe. Everything was very difficult to get through. They (SFY) came here and also distributed medicines. They provided treatment to the people in our area and also gave them clothes. They also provided any necessary items that were needed.”
– Local Beneficiary
The Collective Strength of Our Model
The success of this single operation, reaching 640+ total beneficiaries, is a powerful demonstration of SFY’s cluster model and broad based leadership in action. When organizations like Al Islah Center specialize in local access and volunteers from institutions like Beaconhouse and Dar-e-Arqam provide skilled mobilization, we avoid duplication, lower costs, and accelerate delivery. Not only these but our core leaders and volunteers came from multiple different cities and dedicated their time and efforts to this initiative, showing how broad based community driven work looks like, in real time. Notably, the true engine of change is the grassroots. It’s the local leaders of Khwarhbanda, such as Razi Khan and Riaz Ahmed who not only opened their homes and identified the most vulnerable but also volunteered and built trust door-to-door. It’s the beneficiaries who become active partners in their own recovery.
“No one else was able to reach this place. They (SFY-#Fri25 Team) are the only ones who came and went there, and they facilitated the affected people. They provided them with medicines and other necessary items that were needed. the distribution was conducted in a very peaceful manner. I am very thankful.”
– Riaz Ahmed (Local Leader)
The Road Ahead: Call to Action
Our initiative’s 3 Main Phases have been completed, but the work is far from over. The scale of this disaster demands sustained commitment. We need more medical coverage, long-term hygiene and sanitation solutions, and psychosocial support. If you’re looking for where your help will make the most impact, the answer is here: by supporting collaborative, local-led coalitions like ours, your donation multiplies in effect. As said in our closing report for the Shangla mission: “We are not just delivering aid; we are rebuilding dignity and hope.”
We urge you to join us in supporting this durable, human infrastructure, a network of teachers who sew, doctors who travel, and communities that organize. This is how we lay the first stones of long-term recovery.
We are incredibly grateful to our partners, Al-Islah, Beaconhouse, and Dar-e-Arqam, as well as the tireless local leaders and volunteers who have given their time and resources. To support FRI25, please “Donate” The floods may test our resolve for years to come, but the resilience of this human movement gives us a reason for hope. The communities are not waiting to be saved; they are organizing their future, stitching it together, and standing up as one.
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About SFY
Society For Youth (SFY) is a non-profit organization committed to fostering sustainable community development through grassroots organizing, education, and empowering local leadership. SFY’s broad-based model emphasizes relationality and collective action, working to address complex social challenges and build resilient communities from within.
To learn more about our work, donate, or support our mission, please feel free to reach out to us via info@society4youth.org. You can also visit the #40in4Campaign website for more insights into the foundational research that led to LIME Pakistan.