SFL was originally established in Pakistan launching shelter and development programs for serving refugees and displaced families in the country for almost ten years. SFL built factories to produce concrete roof beams and other housing components to help Afghan refugee families rebuild their homes and communities. This initial work in Pakistan was completed in 1991.

Community Safe Shelter Training

In response to the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, SFL has initiated a recovery program to show and educate earthquake survivors how to rebuild their communities in a safe and sustainable way. The Government of Pakistan has assigned SFL four Union Councils (similar to a U.S. county) in which to implement community and household training in earthquake preparedness measures. Termed "seismic mitigation," this training provides families with the skills and knowledge to rebuild their homes using designs that will minimize structural damage from earthquakes. SFL has received international recognition for implementing shelter designs that incorporate simple, cost-effective technical measures that reduce the damage from earthquakes and other disasters. Construction techniques include reinforced walls, rigid wooden ring beams, corner bracing, and strategic door and window locations. Beneficiaries also receive awareness and preparedness training to equip them with the skills and knowledge to survive future disasters.

SFL is working in the Union Councils of Garhi Habibullah, Talhatta, and Hangrai, and Gojra in Azad Kashmir, to equip households with the skills and training to reconstruct their homes using seismic mitigation construction methods. Families are receiving financial assistance from the Government of Pakistan to rebuild their homes in the coming months. SFL's mobile training teams begin by offering introductory awareness sessions in every village; then SFL engineers visit each household to assess shelter conditions, provide training, and offer technical assistance. SFL's current goal is to provide training to approximately 8,000 people in 168 villages. SFL is also offering carpentry and masonry workshops to increase the number of skilled construction workers available to rebuild homes and communities. With donations from World Vision and IOM, every person finishing the training courses receives a tool kit and certificate of completion.

In addition to this seismic training program, SFL has completed repairs to Kunhar Christian hospital, which serves as SFL's base of operations in the Garhi Habibullah region. Funding for SFL's projects in Pakistan has come from private donors, TEAM, Northwest Medical Teams International, and Tearfund U.K.

In a separate project, SFL is partnering in Community Safe Shelter Training for an additional four Union Councils in the Kohistan region. These Union Councils are Ban Khad, Maveen, Batera,, and Moda Khel. This safe shelter training follows the SFL model elsewhere in Pakistan, but is implemented and funded in partnership with Partner Aid International. This project can impact 60,000 area residents and will conclude in June 2007.

School Construction

SFL is engaged in the construction of 10 schools in the upper Siran Valley, which is located west of the earthquake epicenter at Balakot. This project is supported by the charity PLAN Pakistan, where SFL is coordinating the work through Pakistani sub-contractors. Enrollment at these schools totals 921 pupils and completion of the sites is scheduled for June 2007.