Some of you will know Diane Emerson from her previous post here on VolunteeringInfo, which is a part of a series depicting her volunteering adventures. She is currently volunteering with Hope Disability Centre in the turbulent Kashmir region, and recently sent us a quick update on the current situation:

I am happy to report that I have good Internet access at the moment,  though with the current and severe unrest here in Kashmir, it may be  taken away at any moment. People here have had enough of waiting for  the government to do something about the "Kashmir Issue". They no  longer listen to the religious or separatist leaders calls to stop  the strikes. They want action.  Over 40 people have been killed  since mid June, and hundreds injured.  The Hope Centre is closed  down, Handicap International people have fled to Delhi, and Sami  Wani, the manager is using the Hope Centre ambulance to bring  injured Kashmiris to a hospital in Srinagar this week. Me, the  security guard (armed with a flashlight), and an occupational  therapist from India remain at Hope Centre. It would be more  dangerous for me to leave than to stay, at this point. So I work  from my room with the curtains closed, read, meditate, work on  writing the Hope Centres operations manual, and wait.

You can read more about the current situation in Kashmir here:

BBC: The future of Kashmir

AP: More protests planned after Kashmir curfew lifted

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