Monsoon Floods Hit Pakistan Again

UUSC partners in southern Pakistan are responding to the current monsoon floods [PDF] that are devastating hundreds of communities — the same communities ravaged by last year's massive flooding. To date, over two million people have been affected.

Our partner the Participatory Village Development Program (PVDP) tells us that the flooding has hit landless farmers the hardest. These farmers are sharecroppers and livestock herders for large landowners. These farmers have no resources or assets to sustain them in times of crisis — like now. Where PVDP works, many of the affected communities are members of the low-caste Hindu community and are regularly discriminated against both socially and economically.

According to our partner, these communities "ordinarily live hand-to-mouth. Today, most of their homes have been submerged by water and families are forced to sit on the roadsides or in schools without food, water, or bathrooms. They must drink the dirty rainwater, which is causing many children to fall ill. The floodwaters are attracting many mosquitoes, which increase the risk of disease."

PVDP has put together an emergency response team that includes 20 staff members and 100 volunteers, along with 4-wheel-drive vehicles that can help move much needed aid. The team is preparing lists of affected people to ensure that people get the aid they need — regardless of their caste.

Consider supporting UUSC's work with Pakistan partners who have been responding to last year's massive floods and are now helping communities minimize the devastation of this year's flooding. Find out more about our work in Pakistan.