Kiwis Generous – But Pakistan's Problem Is Huge

Kiwis and the Government Are Generous – But Pakistan’s situation is Huge, More Money is Needed.

It is going to take much more money than both the Government and ordinary people have already given to have any significant impact on Pakistan.

“UNICEF is really grateful for the support that the Government has already given for Pakistan,” says UNICEF New Zealand chief executive Dennis McKinlay.

The NZ Government has provided two million dollars in emergency relief, half of which is being distributed by UNICEF.

UNICEF aims to raise $US 47m internationally.

The average Kiwi aid donor is also being very generous, for which UNICEF is very grateful.

“Aid from UNICEF is now being delivered to people on the ground in Pakistan,” Mr McKinlay says.

This aid is addressing key factors that affect child health – water supply, prevention of water-borne diseases, nutrition and shelter.

But the situation in Pakistan is getting worse every day and it looks like the rains could continue for the next two weeks.

“Imagine what that will be like, when your house has been washed away. Your family has lived in the area for generations. It’s all gone and you have to go and live in a school,” he says.

“Aid needs to be massively scaled up. We have made a good start, but it’s going to be a long haul.”

“People who want to give need to donate to experienced organisations like UNICEF. The money will be spent effectively.”

“UNICEF can guarantee they have strong financial systems that ensure that money will be spent where it should be.”

Pakistan is now in danger of being seriously affected long term. It could easily take two years for its food production to recover from the floods, which are ongoing.

People have had to leave villages that have been occupied for generations. Hundreds of schools have bee flooded, livelihoods destroyed.

UNICEF is particularly concerned with the risk of water-borne diseases and working with the Government to ensure that basic water, sanitation and hygiene services are repaired to prevent major health outbreaks.

We attach this case study, of one young mother who has been made homeless by the floods.

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Noor Jehan sits and waits at a secondary school turned into a relief camp for Pakistani flood victims. Carrying her 15 month old son in her arms, Noor Jehan of village Unar Goth, district Shikarpur was as lost as many others from her community. Still in a state of shock and fatigue, she recalls her evacuation from her ancestral village. “I was tending the goats in the compound when my brother-in-law hurriedly came in and informed us that we had to vacate our house immediately as river will flood our village by nightfall”. “It was chaotic, I don’t know how we loaded our meagre belongings on to the donkey cart, got onto it ourselves and set out on the road to Sukkur”, says Noor Jehan.

With tears in her eyes, Noor Jehan narrates her plight. “My husband and his brother stayed behind to safeguard our goats and the cow, our only source of income. For us, it was an agonizing journey. We did not know our destination and were worried sick about our men that we left behind. After travelling for a day and a night, we have reached here but are uncertain of what will happen next”.

Twenty five families comprising mostly of women and children from village Unar Goth were not the only ones in this temporary camp for the displaced. In all, about 490 people had taken refuge in the camp and many more are expected to arrive any time.

Officials of the Municipal Administration had set up a medical camp in the school building where UNICEF is supporting the Health Department to revive services of the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI). A vaccinator was busy vaccinating children under the age of 15 years for measles and providing Vitamin A supplements.

As the city of Sukkur is located on the banks of river Indus, which takes in flood waters from the north before falling into the Arabian Sea, the situation of floods in the entire district is precarious. Water level is constantly rising and the entire area has been placed under red alert.

Around 36,000 people in district Sukkur have been affected by the floods while nearly 29,000 people have been evacuated from the low lying areas. Most of the displaced are not aware of the 29 relief camps established by the government in this area. They are waiting for help out in the open without the basic amenities such as safe drinking water, food, shelter, sanitation and hygiene services. These communities are vulnerable to water-borne diseases, incidence of violence and abuse.

Nearly six hundred villages in the province of Sindh have been inundated and the situation is expected to get worse as rains continue in the northern part of the country and water level in the South continues to rise.

Local authorities are constantly watching the rising level of water and if it crosses the highest level of water intake, they may have to deliberately breach the Sukkur barrage to save the city but that would inundate numerous villages in the Union Councils (administrative area) of Sangrar, Salihpat and Ali Wahan. A Large number of people have already vacated the villages in these Union Councils.

ENDS

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