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Pakistan floods update - three months on

Pakistan floods update - three months on – 22 Oct 2010

It’s nearly three months since the worst flooding in living memory struck Pakistan, killing 1,700 people and affecting 20 million others. As the waters slowly recede, we report on Tearfund’s progress to help survivors recover.

Janat’s story

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Janat recently returned to her village which the flood waters forced her to flee. It was a grim homecoming. Her home was destroyed, her crops obliterated and her life was effectively ruined by the raging river Indus which left the community under four feet of water. Along with others from this Sindh province village, the 55-year-old labourer fled to the relative safety of a raised embankment to stay in a government school.Back in her village of Mohammad Khan Joyo, Janat is relying on Tearfund partner SSEWA-Pak. Staff provided the plastic sheeting under which she sleeps. They also gave her food, cooking utensils, cutlery, plates and hygiene kits. It will take many more months until her house is rebuilt.

Mosquito threat

Bashira is a widow who has a three-year-old son in need of ongoing medical support. Since the floods, she has suffered food shortages but that’s eased thanks to supplies from our partner. Mosquito nets are also proving valuable to Bashira and her son.

The floods in Mohammad Khan Joyo did not discriminate between rich and poor. Akhtar Ali, 30, used to farm two acres of cotton, sugar cane and rice but all were destroyed by the floods. His five-room house was taken too and all possessions were lost as Akhtar’s family had no time to save anything during the desperate 4am rush to safety. He too has been assisted by SSEWA-Pak.

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Basic essentials from SSEWA-Pak represent the only outside help Janat, Bashira, Akhtar and their fellow villagers have received. No aid has been forthcoming from the Pakistani government.

Rob Schofield, Tearfund’s acting Disaster Management Director, who met villagers being helped, said; ‘People were very happy to receive the goods from SSEWA-Pak but it’s clear that they face long term challenges to restore their lives.’

Vulnerable

With many people losing their homes and now sleeping out in the open, there is a widespread sense of vulnerability. Large parts of the Sindh country side are still flooded. There are other problems too. Handpumps to access water no longer work and the road into the community is still cut-off by the water.

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SSEWA-Pak, which has provided emergency aid to more than 25,000 people from the north to south of Pakistan, will be helping communities like this get back on their feet but this will take time due to the widespread damage to lives and livelihoods. Other partners, such as the Adult Basic Education Society (ABES) are also assisting the post-flood recovery effort.

Trauma help

ABES has set up transition centres in six Punjab villages offering free check-ups, medicines, nutritional supplements, psycho-social support and ways of purifying water.

Staff are working with children, teaching them about hygiene, and offering play and other learning activities to those who have been left traumatised by the flooding. The Association of Humanitarian Development (AHD) has also distributed 2,000 kits of food, cooking goods, shelter materials and hygiene kits in Thatta district of Sindh.

Another partner, the Diocese of Hyderabad, is distributing food to flood affected people in their target villages and also repairing school buildings that were damaged due to flooding.

You can continue to support the ongoing rehabiliation and recovery work in Pakistan by donating here.

Sahel Food Crisis

Sahel Food Crisis – 9 Jun 2010

In West Africa, millions are desperate for food.

(Picture – Previously malnourished girl receiving nutritional supplement from Tearfund partner CREDO in Burkino Faso)

Bad harvests over a number of years mean staple foods like grain have shot up in price by as much as 43 per cent. At the same time, the value of cattle has plummeted. Families would normally trade their cattle for food – but now they’re not worth enough. This means they have no money, and many people are eating just one meal a day.

In Niger alone, a massive seven million people – half the country’s population – need urgent help.

In Chad, a further two million people need immediate assistance.

“The Sahel is one of the most destitute regions in the world and the spectre of hunger is pushing increasing numbers of people from the countryside and into cities where they are searching for food to feed their families,” says Thomas Yanga, World Food Programme’s regional director for West Africa. “People have lost crops, livestock, and the ability to cope on their own, and the levels of malnutrition among women and children have already risen to very high levels,” he added.

Millions more across Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as Niger and Chad, are at risk, and will fall into crisis if we don’t act now.

Our partners have been working in this region for 20 years. But, to respond to this growing crisis and save lives, they need more resources. We have therefore launched an appeal.

You can help support our continuing relief efforts by giving to our Emergency Fund

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