Save the Children provided the family with necessities, including a water bucket. Credit: Usman Ghani/Save the Children

Nearly two dozen people — including 15 children — now live in Syed Ali Shah's two-room clay house in a remote village in Swabi, located in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.

Although the 45-year-old van driver finds it a struggle to make ends meet on his low wage, he did not think twice about taking in four families, all relatives, when they turned up at his home two weeks ago.

The families left Buner on May 1, fleeing the conflict that has driven more than 2 million children and adults from their homes in the last two weeks.

They trekked for two days through the mountains to reach Ali Shah's home. They did not have time to pack clothes or buy food before they fled. The entire family slept out in the open during their journey, with the adults taking turns keeping watch during the night.

Among those taking refuge in Ali Shah's house are Rabida, her husband and their seven children. Their four girls and three boys are having a difficult time dealing with the cramped conditions, stress and confusion of their new life. The younger children cling to their mother and cry constantly. Even the older girls; Abdina, 6, and Madiha, 7, do not fully understand what is happening to them and repeatedly ask to go home. 

Save the Children has given vital aid to Rabida and the other families living in cramped conditions at Ali Shah's home.

Rabida said: "We arrived here without anything. It is very kind (of Save the Children) to help us. My children enjoy taking a cold bath in the tub they provided us with; it is very hot here compared to our village in Buner."

Ali Shah added: "It is my duty to help my relatives in difficult times like these. We only have two rooms here to accommodate everyone. The floor mats provided by Save the Children mean that now everyone has somewhere to sleep."

Save the Children is supporting thousands of families like Ali Shah's who have been affected by intensified fighting in northern Pakistan. The agency has distributed household and hygiene supplies, including sleeping mats, soap, tooth paste, water buckets, and cooking and eating utensils.  

To date, more than 2 million people — including over 1 million children — have been forced from their homes and villages in Pakistan's restive North West Frontier Province.

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Last Updated May 2009