Three years ago, a devastating earthquake shook northern Pakistan, leaving thousands to cope with dramatic, life-changing injuries. As the country has made the difficult journey from emergency response to reconstruction, Direct Relief has provided more than $14 million in assistance to local partners rebuilding the healthcare infrastructure and helping the injured recover.

In particular, a rehabilitation center in Besham, in the Northwest Frontier Province, provides hope and high-quality care to the thousands of villagers injured by the quake. Shortly after the earthquake struck in 2005, Direct Relief and the Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences (PIPOS)—Pakistan’s premier prosthetic and orthotic center and teaching facility—teamed up to build five satellite centers throughout the earthquake-affected area to ensure that the injured would receive ongoing proper care without the burden of constant travel to larger cities.

Continuing care is especially crucial with injuries requiring orthotics and prosthetics. For example, a growing child who loses a leg has to be refitted frequently with new prosthetics as he grows or wears out his device. Proper fit and phyical therapy is important for adult patients, as well, so they can be comfortable with their prosthetics and live full lives.

As in Pakistan, even after the headlines fade, Direct Relief is committed to providing specifically requested aid to local healthcare providers in the wake of an emergency for as long as the need persists.