The Weight of Winter
In Leepa Valley, dawn breaks not with birdsong but with silence.
The mountains hold their breath; the trees bow beneath white weight. Inside a small house made of stone and patience, Samina Begum crouches beside a clay stove, coaxing fire from damp wood. Her hands are cracked. Her breath fogs in the air.
“Every morning, I say Bismillah and pray the fire will light,” she whispers.
Her husband died three years ago in a landslide. Now Samina raises her three children alone. Each night she rations their food and firewood, measuring every log as if it were a coin.
Women of Winter Campaign — Impact Snapshot
Empowering women and protecting families across the coldest valleys of Azad Kashmir
When the flames finally take, she sits back and lets the warmth brush her face. It feels like mercy.
A Mother’s Math
For Samina, winter is a series of calculations. How long can one blanket serve three children? How many hours of heat can a handful of wood provide?
She keeps a ledger on the wall — not of money, but of days survived.
“Winter is not counted in months here,” she says. “It’s counted in nights you don’t shiver.”
According to the AJ&K Labour and Gender Report (2024), 37% of rural households in upper valleys are headed by women during winter months — as men migrate to lowlands or Pakistan for work. Many mothers like Samina manage the impossible: cooking with less, praying for more, holding families together when the world outside is frozen still.
“I don’t fear hunger,” she says. “I fear the sound of my children’s teeth chattering.”
❄️ Donate Now – Keep Families Warm
The Hands That Sew Hope
In Muzaffarabad, miles away, another mother’s hands move differently.
Noreen Akhtar, a 29-year-old seamstress, sits in a small tailoring shop stitching jackets for the Kashmir Welfare Foundation’s Cozy Kids Project. The hum of her machine fills the room.
Each coat she sews will soon travel to children like Samina’s in Leepa or Gurez.
“Every stitch,” she says, “is a dua for a child I will never meet.”
When the Winter Campaign orders arrive, Noreen and five other women work through the night. For them, this job is more than income — it’s survival with dignity.
“The money feeds our homes,” Noreen says, “but the purpose feeds our hearts.”
The foundation’s local procurement model has created over 180 seasonal jobs for women across Muzaffarabad and Athmuqam — tailors, packers, transport coordinators.
Through your donation, they earn wages, keep children in school, and stand as the quiet pillars of resilience.
Deliveries are still continuing — urgent need, donate now.
The Road to Surgan
High above Neelum, in the valley of Surgan, Parveen Bano trudges through knee-deep snow. A bucket in one hand, a child’s glove in the other, she walks half a kilometre to fetch water.
Her scarf is crusted with frost, her boots leak, and yet she hums softly as she walks.
She pauses when she sees the convoy — trucks of the Kashmir Welfare Foundation winding through the mountain road. The volunteers wave, then stop to hand her a winter pack marked: “From a donor family in London.”
Parveen bows her head, whispering,
“Allah reward the hands that sent this.”
She turns home, the pack balanced on her head — a box of warmth, dignity, and answered prayers.
❄️ Donate Now – Keep Families WarmFaith and Fortitude
Across Azad Kashmir, countless women carry the same strength.
They patch roofs with tin, sew old quilts into new ones, and boil snow when water runs out.
In Athmuqam, Hajra Begum — the elderly widow featured in a previous story — warms her grandchildren by reading them Surah Yasin until they fall asleep.
“When our doors freeze,” she says, “we open our hearts instead.”
It is faith that keeps them steady, not comfort.
The cold may be unrelenting, but so is their courage.
The Human Face Behind the Numbers
| Statistic (AJ&K Bureau, 2024) | Value | Reflection |
|---|---|---|
| Female-headed winter households | 37% | Women leading survival efforts |
| Winter-related illness (women) | +60% higher than men | Exposure & malnutrition |
| Women in local relief employment | 180+ | Empowerment through aid |
| Avg January temperature (Leepa) | –12 °C | Harshest zone in AJK |
Each number hides a name, a prayer, a mother whispering Alhamdulillah through trembling lips.
❄️ Donate Now – Keep Families WarmThe Invisible Work of Survival
Winter in Kashmir demands labour that goes unseen — gathering firewood, drying clothes over weak stoves, melting snow for water, kneading dough with numb fingers.
While others sleep, mothers like Samina wake at dawn to clear ice from roofs, protect livestock, and comfort crying children.
Every action is a form of worship.
“When I hold my children close,” Samina says, “it feels like prayer.”
The Winter Campaign doesn’t just deliver aid; it delivers relief to the women who hold entire households upright.
“Every winter we meet mothers who give their children the only blanket and keep nothing for themselves.
❄️ Donate Now – Keep Families Warm
Our duty is to make sure they never have to choose like that again.
When donors support us, they’re protecting the very heartbeat of Kashmir’s homes.”
— Abdul Basit, Trustee
How Your Donation Helps
What Your Winter Donation Provides
Every pack is prepared in Kashmir and delivered by our volunteers to families facing freezing temperatures.
Your support not only brings heat to homes but income to the women who make it possible.
❄️ Donate Now – Keep Families WarmGift Aid – Extending a Mother’s Mercy
When you tick Gift Aid, the UK government adds 25% more to your donation at no cost to you.
£50 becomes £62.50 — enough for another coat or extra fuel.
“That extra warmth travels from your heart to theirs,” says Basit.
Regular Giving – Sustaining Women’s Livelihoods
Through Regular Giving, the foundation pays local women tailors and supplies seasonal employment even after the convoys end.
This transforms short-term relief into long-term resilience.
“I never thought my sewing could feed another home,” says Noreen. “But now it does.”
The Fire Still Burns
As night settles over Leepa, Samina adds the last log to her stove.
Her youngest, Ayesha, falls asleep under a new quilt delivered last week.
Outside, snow thickens, but inside, warmth lingers.
She looks at the flickering light and whispers,
“Winter will return, but so will mercy.”
For her, that mercy came wrapped in a box sent by strangers she’ll never meet — strangers who cared enough to give before the snow fell.
❄️ Donate Now – Keep Families WarmFAQs
1. How does the Winter Campaign support women?
By providing direct aid to female-led households and employing local women in tailoring, packing, and logistics roles.
2. How much does it cost to help one family?
£50 provides blankets, food, and fuel for a full month.
3. Can I support women’s employment instead of aid?
Yes — you can donate toward sewing hubs in Muzaffarabad that create jobs.
4. What’s the role of Sadaqah here?
Sadaqah funds are used immediately for purchase of products and delivering emergency aid.
5. How do I know my donation reaches?
Our online system matches every donation with a delivered pack so we can be certain tha tyour package is being delviered to those most in need.
