By Jessica Howell, Catholic Relief Services (CRS is a Caritas member) The early days of last August seemed fairly unremarkable for the small Pakistani village of Rajo Bhayo, until the Indus River – swollen from days of unending monsoon rains in the north – breached a protective embankment nearby and came swirling towards the village. ...
By Kamran Chaudhry, Communications officer Caritas Pakistan Jan 28 was a day with a difference for flood victims like Haji Suleman in a relief camp of Karachi , the southern metropolis. The thumping of a platter gathered jubilant girls adorned in make-up and smiling children at Suleman’s camp as the sounds of merrymaking grew louder. ...
By Elli Xenou, Caritas Coordinator Pakistan I was at home in Athens on summer vacations when the phone rang. Cordaid’s project manager (Cordaid is Caritas Netherlands) sounded worried: “It’s raining two days now non-stop” he said, “something big is going to happen”. Then the first images of floods and destruction made it to the TV ...
by Monika Vrsanska, CAFOD programme officer for the Pakistan Emergency On the road to the village of Parto Malik, we finally see the water. A lot of water, considering the flood was supposed to have ended a couple of months ago. The road is very dusty and we cough a lot, but the surrounding fields ...
By Jessica Howell, Programme and Advocacy Officer, Catholic Relief Services Dulshan Bajkani looks to be about 23 years old, but she says she doesn’t know for sure. Regardless of her age, she’s endured more in the last six months than any woman in her twenties should have to bear. Her nightmare began in early August, when record ...
By Jessica Howell, Programme and Advocacy Officer, Catholic Relief Services “Ours was a love marriage,” said Soomri, a frail woman with almond-shaped eyes that seem to dance when thinks about her youth. “He was the only literate man in town,” she said of her husband, “And we were both favored by our parents.” The 75-year-old mother of ...
Bishop Joseph Coutts, President of Caritas Pakistan, talks about the challenges Caritas faces in Pakistan six months after the country was devastated by extensive floods. How would you describe the situation six months after the floods? Bishop Coutts: There is still a lot to be done. In the areas we are working in, we are now ...
By Jessica Howell, Programme and Advocacy Officer, Catholic Relief Services A wizened man whose mirthful eyes suggest more mischief than age, Ariz smirks when asked how old he is. “More than 50,” he said, to the chuckles of his friends and family standing nearby. There hasn’t been a lot to smile about lately though. The floods that ...
Pakistan is still struggling to cope six months after devastating floods that affected 20 million people. “There is still a lot to be done,” said Bishop Joseph Coutts, President of Caritas Pakistan. “We are now moving from the early relief stage to reconstruction. In some regions however, especially in the south, people are still lacking ...
By Kamran Chaudhry, Communications Officer Caritas Pakistan Caritas Pakistan will support the construction of 2500 shelters for people displaced by super floods that swept away homes and crops in the Sindh province last year. “Restoration of basic infrastructure is crucial in returning life back to normal. Months of standing water has exposed the wooden skeleton ...