Piles of rubbles, the remains of ordinary homes, stretch as far as the eye can see; in the city centre banks and shopping centres stand precariously, their iron structures exposed and bent; and at the graveyards, where whole families now lie together, the survivors come to weep. At one grave we saw one little boy just sobbing over a grave. He told us he came every day.

In the midst of this trauma, Elam’s main contribution is to try and reach such children. In one hot portable cabin, the team managed to put a smile on the faces of children who came to an activity club. It is hoped they will soon be able to gather many more children again in the ‘Happy Tent’. Wherever we went we met people numbed by what had happened. One man invited us into his portable cabin. He did not mention a word about the beautiful home he once had – he only talked about his son and grandchild, lost on that fateful morning. The team listened and tried to share their hope with him.

Read more about Elam's Relief and Development Work