Sharing of Hong Kong volunteer, Albert Ko in the South Asia earthquake relief work

"Winter will be coming in a few weeks, we have to work ahead to make sure we can operate equally well in under zero condition."

The international medical organiszation Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) continues to assist thousands of survivors in the remnants of mountain villages in Pakistani Kashmir and Indian Kashmir and the country¡¦s North West Frontier Province. Albert Ko, the first volunteer from MSF-HK office, is working as logistician support for in Muzaffarabad in Pakistani Kashmir. Here is his sharing:

I have been in Pakistani Kashmir for more than two weeks. The workload here is very heavy. We are a team with 33 members from all over the world, plus drivers, translators, national staffs, and workers. The compound we live in consists of more than 60!

The compound I am talking about is in fact the playground of a girl's college and the building we are using for meeting and storage is a huge two storage structure originally built for the girl's college as new classrooms. Unfortunately the college's main building collapsed in the earthquake and all students died inside. Some bodies were retrieved but at least 20 bodies still remaining, and on a hot sunny day, we can smell their existence.

The weather here is extremely hot and dry in the day and cold at night. In the evening I have to wear my fleece and boots to stay warm. Taking a shower after the sun goes down can freeze you to death. When we first arrived at this site there was nothing, nothing but a tent for 16! No food, no water, not enough sleeping bags, not enough tents and not enough of anything.

Winter will be coming in a few weeks, we have to work ahead to make sure we can operate equally well in under zero condition.

MSF teams distribute winterized tents, blankets and relief items such as cooking and hygiene kits. By now, MSF has brought more than 620 tons of relief goods into Pakistan but at the moment logistical capacities in the difficult mountainous terrain are insufficient to get enough people under shelter before winter hits in a few weeks time.

MSF teams see hundreds of patients every day, continue to provide postoperative as well as primary health care, give mental health support to traumatized people. They also vaccinate hundreds against tetanus and measles and has treated earthquake victims with "crush syndrome".

Currently, more than 150 international staff together with about a 100 local staff are working in MSF's earthquake relief program in Pakistan. In addition, MSF teams in Indian Kashmir give mental health support, provide medical and logistical items to hospitals and distribute relief goods.