Pakistan Update: Continued Flooding Worsens Humanitarian Crisis

Ed.’s note: Compelled by the increasingly worsening conditions in Pakistan, UUSC and the Unitarian Universalist Association launched on August 24 an appeal for flood relief. Donations to the fund can be made through our online donation form. Please see “UUSC, UUA Launch Pakistan Flood Relief Fund” for more information. 

The massive flooding in Pakistan is worsening. The estimated number of affected people has jumped from 3 to 14 million in the past week as the rains continue and the floodwaters grow. As many as 6,000 villages have been destroyed, and tens of thousands of square miles are now under water. An accurate count of lives lost is currently impossible. More monsoon rains are expected, and new flood warnings have been issued for Sindh and Punjab provinces.

The increased scale of the disaster has severely complicated the global humanitarian response. More and more areas are inaccessible to aid, including whole areas in northern Pakistan. Nearly two million people need emergency shelter, and millions more need food, water, and basic health services. The current aid response is insufficient to meet the vast needs of the survivors, of whom nearly half are children.

Two of UUSC's partners are responding to the crisis in Pakistan, and UUSC encourages concerned donors to direct their support to these organizations:

• Bedari was a key UUSC partner organization in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. A Bedari team has assessed flooded areas in the Nowshera, Charsadda, Mianwali, and Rajanpur districts. They have found that many women and young girls have lost their families and have no one to accompany them and help them obtain relief. Women from these regions are normally restricted to their homes and, in the confusion of the crisis, they are at risk of being overlooked, neglected, and exploited.
  
  In response, Bedari is establishing a support center in Nowshera for unaccompanied women and other vulnerable survivors. The center will be a safe place for women to access food, water, and counseling as well as to speak with other women and find out where they can go to get additional, critical relief. Running this center requires approximately $800 per month.

• Barakat is a UUSC partner that works to increase access to quality education in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. With UUSC's support, Barakat trains teachers in Afghanistan on human rights and helps teachers introduce these topics in the classroom. In Pakistan, Barakat works with refugee families from Afghanistan, ensuring that they can go to school (see Boston Globe article "In Pakistan, bringing education to Afghan refugees"). Barakat's home-base in Pakistan is the town of Attock in Punjab, a town of refugees.
  
  The refugee families of Attock are now taking in other Afghan refugees whose residences were destroyed in the flooding. Nearly 600 refugees have been newly displaced to Attock. Already marginalized as refugees, they are at risk of being overlooked now in the relief operation. Barakat will support these survivors with food, water, cooking supplies, medical care, shelter, and other immediate needs. The estimate cost of this support is approximately $10,000 per month.

Please consider supporting Bedari and Barakat in their efforts to ensure that women and refugees in Pakistan can access the immediate relief they need. The situation in Pakistan is dire and worsening. Your support can make a big difference.

To donate to Bedari, visit their website for more information.

To donate to Barakat, visit their website.