Every aid package saves lives: together with Austrian donors, Caritas helps hundreds of families in Rahimyar Khan. (in this picture: Thomas Preindl Caritas Austria)
Credits: Caritas
Caritas is revising its appeal for Pakistan to Euros 10 million (USD 12 million) to reach 350,000 people affected by the worst flooding there in living memory. Flooding has caused damage and displacement in a fifth of the country and left 21 million people affected.
Caritas will be providing shelter, food, clean water and sanitation, health care, infrastructure rebuilding, and protection for vulnerable groups like women and children.
Raging floodwaters have washed away homes, bridges, schools, water systems and medical facilities across large sections of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan as well as parts of Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir provinces of Pakistan.
As the rains continued in August, the flooding began to reach Sindh in the southern part of Pakistan. Over 4,000,000 people have been affected in Sindh alone and over 300,000 houses demolished while 50,000 acres of agricultural land is under water.
The Caritas confederation is operational in Pakistan through national member Caritas Pakistan, and international members Trócaire (Caritas Ireland), Catholic Relief Service (CRS is a Caritas member based in the USA), CORDAID (Caritas Netherlands), Caritas Switzerland and through their local partners.
Caritas Pakistan Executive Secretary Anila Gill said, “Millions of people have been left without homes, food, or medical assistance. Their crops are destroyed, their livelihoods washed away. Disease is a constant threat. Lives can be saved if act quickly to provide the most vulnerable with aid.”
Highlights of the Caritas operations include:
Caritas Pakistan will provide 8000 people with primary healthcare, and distribute food, shelter materials, and other aid items to 15,000 people.
Cordaid (Caritas Netherlands) use medical clinics and mobile medical units to provide surgery and immunisation. Cordaid also aims to provide clean water to affected communities. Over 160,000 people will benefit from this work in Shangla and Koshistan.
Trócaire (Caritas Ireland) is evacuating vulnerable people from the surrounding Manchar Lake. Evacuees are assisted in a manner that protects their dignity; this is of particular relevance for women who practice purdah (separation between men and women) and need to remain concealed or indoors which poses significant challenge in camps, temporary settlements, and overcrowded host family homes.
CRS is providing cash-for-work to support to repair and maintain essential access routes (mostly pedestrian paths and bridges) to markets, services and humanitarian assistance and to restore productive infrastructure such as irrigation channels.
Caritas Switzerland will be distributing food in Malakan district. The primary focus of the activities will be to provide essential food items such as flour, pulses, oil, sugar, and tea.
For more information, please contact Michelle Hough on +39 06 69879721/+39 334 2344136 or [email protected]