InterAction, an alliance of U.S.-based international non-governmental aid organizations, has listed 47 organizations contributing relief to flood victims in Pakistan. For those concerned about making donations or unsure about whom to donate to, this list could offer more confidence. We recommend donating to organizations you know and trust.
Desperation persists among the millions of flood victims in Pakistan, where many continue to struggle to find basic necessities, including food and shelter, according to Reuters.
Almost 5 million people are homeless and many suffer from diarrhea and other water-borne illnesses, with little or no help:
CHARSADDA, Pakistan, Sept 2 (Reuter) – Day after day, Afshan Bibi, a mother of 11, trudges to the U.N. distribution center to get relief supplies to help her cope with the aftermath of Pakistan’s devastating floods.
A month later, housed in a tent encampment, she still comes away with nothing.
“I’ve come here every day for a whole month, but I haven’t received anything,” she said.
Only those producing a small paper token are entitled to any of the daily handouts at the sugar refinery housing the center run by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
Bibi and others are told to come back tomorrow.
She is one of about 600 people — mostly men — from a nearby tent settlement who gather from 6 a.m. at the center in the hope of getting blankets, mats, buckets, mosquito netting, soap or other supplies.
By noon, they are hot, frustrated and often angry.
Kifayat Ullah, a UNHCR official, pleads with them to calm down and queue up.
“For God’s sake, make a line,” he yells into the crowd. “Then you will be able to get something. Otherwise we will not be able to distribute anything.”
Anger is fueled by unrelenting misery one month after their lives were washed away by floodwaters.
“They’re very desperate,” Ullah said.
Amid the growing frustration in Pakistan, actress Angelina Jolie posted a video Wednesday, urging viewers and fans to contribute toward flood relief.
From the United Nations:
31 August 2010 – Top United Nations officials today urged the international community to boost their support for Pakistan’s flood victims, especially for the health and well-being of women and children who make up 70 per cent of the nearly 18 million people affected by the disaster.
“What I saw today has convinced me that we must step up our humanitarian operations to stave off a potential second wave of disease and misery for millions of families, especially the most vulnerable, children and women,” the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said following a visit to the Muzzafargarh district of Punjab province, one of the worst affected areas.
Anthony Lake toured the area with Josette Sheeran, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), who warned during a joint press conference in the capital, Islamabad, that there is a triple threat unfolding as the crisis widens and deepens.
“People have lost seeds, crops and their incomes leaving them vulnerable to hunger, homelessness and desperation – the situation is extremely critical. We urgently need continued and strengthened commitment to the people of Pakistan in this time of crisis.”
During their visit to Punjab, the two Executive Directors visited a school which has been turned into an emergency relief centre, where UNICEF hygiene kits were being handed out to families hit by the floods.
They also saw a WFP food distribution that included specialized ready-to-eat foods for infants and young children, designed to prevent the early ravages of malnutrition.
Read more from the UN…
An Americans for Flood Relief event drew media coverage in Los Angeles that was captured in world coverage of the floods. We hope to continue spreading the word about this tragedy by bringing news of it to Americans, through local media or direct conversations. The situation in Pakistan is not improving and world leaders today called for renewed support to the crisis. We hope that these news stories and other efforts can help us spread the word and inspire Americans to support the millions in need in Pakistan.
Los Angeles Times: Raising awareness of Pakistan’s flood victims (8/30/10)
UPI: ISLAMABAD — Breach displaces thousands of Pakistanis (8/30/10)
Television coverage also included reports from Los Angeles affiliates for ABC and FOX.
Photos from our event in Los Angeles:
Read the rest of Building awareness, one step at a time »
A flood awareness rally in Los Angeles is expected to be attended by public officials and covered by area media organizations.
I’m confused about the scale of the disaster in Pakistan. World leaders say it has been devastating, but the death toll is far lower than recent disasters, including the Haitian earthquake.
The United Nations and world leaders have made urgent calls for aid for Pakistan because they say the floods have had a more sweeping impact than the Haiti earthquake, Southeast Asian tsunami and 2005 Kashmir earthquake combined. While the early death toll estimate of about 1,600 is far lower than the estimated 230,000 people who died as a result of the Haiti earthquake, the number of people affected by the floods in Pakistan is almost incomprehensible.
A total of more than 20 million people have been displaced or affected, many losing nearly all of their property and currently seeking refuge in an area where crops have been wiped out and clean water and food is in short supply. Four million are estimated homeless.The result has alarmed officials who fear that hundreds of thousands could be susceptible to water-borne diseases and starvation. Millions are expected to face significant challenges, even after the floodwaters have subsided, because many will be unable to harvest crops for more than a year.
“We see 20 million members of the human family in desperate need of help. This is a defining moment — for Pakistan, and for all of us.” — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
I have heard a lot about terrorism in Pakistan. If I support relief work, will terrorists benefit from my humanitarian aid?
We recommend supporting established organizations that we know are providing on-the-ground assistance to people in need. Prominent organizations participating in flood relief efforts include American Red Cross, UNICEF, CARE and Islamic Relief Worldwide. Although much of the news we hear out of Pakistan has to do with terrorism, the nation’s more than 170 million people, along with its 20 million flood victims, should not be denied humanitarian assistance because of the actions of extremists. As Americans, we have been able to support those in need of help around the world and have created the goodwill that many nations, including Pakistan, reciprocated when our own citizens have faced disasters (Pakistan pledged $1 million toward Hurricane Katrina relief). We should not stop now, especially when our assistance could help support families who might otherwise struggle to survive after the floods.
I’m worried about my funds going to corrupt officials instead of the people who need help. What can I do?
By sending your support to organizations with an established track record, you can ensure that your contributions will make a difference. The world’s leading relief organizations have not wasted time in taking action in Pakistan because they acknowledge the potentially catastrophic affects that the floods could continue to have on the millions of victims. You shouldn’t wait either.
More on the scale of the disaster in Pakistan:
Pakreport.org is using on-the-ground observations and text messaging to track the flooding and help relief workers get to affected areas:
Recent floods in Pakistan have claimed over 1600 lives and displaced over 18 million individuals — about one-tenth of Pakistan’s population. Enabled by a global outpouring of support for the Pakistani people, relief aid and resources have been immediately dispatched to the affected areas. But access to relevant, timely, and up-to-date information about the flood remains elusive in this emergency context. Relying on patchy information to allocate limited resources creates distortions both in emergency relief and in long-term policy planning.
Pakistan Flood Incident Reporting is a centralized database for gathering information on disaster-related variables. PakReport relies on information communicated through SMS, recognizing the wide use of mobile phones throughout Pakistan. With your help, PakReport can ensure the efficient distribution of limited resources through incident reporting. All it takes is a simple text message to 3411 relating your observations of the flood.
From the UN:
Speaker after speaker took the floor at a special meeting of the United Nations General Assembly today to call for global solidarity to help flood-hit Pakistan in the wake of the country’s worst disaster in living memory and for generous support for vital relief operations.
“Make no mistake: this is a global disaster, a global challenge. It is one of the greatest tests of global solidarity in our times,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the 192-member body, which adopted a resolution calling for international assistance in support of the Government’s efforts to address the crisis.
The scale of devastation in Pakistan has continues to trouble world leaders. Today U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented on the floods:
“Currently more than 20 million Pakistanis have been affected by the worst natural disaster in Pakistan’s history,” she said. “That is more than the population of New York State. The enormity of this crisis is hard to fathom, the rain continues to fall, and the extent of the devastation is still difficult to gauge.”
