NYT: Flood Victims Near Multan
Today, news agencies report that Sindh province is currently bracing for a second round of heavy floods, and authorities warn “it could be as big as the first wave, which displaced millions and destroyed thousands of homes.” According to Al Jazeera English, “Authorities said waters have unexpectedly begun to rise at the Kotri barrage along the Indus river in southern Sindh, and now threaten to overrun the embankments around the barrage. Flooding at Kotri could potentially threaten the city of Hyderabad.”
So far, more than 1,600 have been confirmed dead since the flooding began in Pakistan two weeks ago, though this toll will rise as the disaster continues to spread and the threat of water-borne diseases like cholera rises. Villages have been swept away. Hundreds of families have been displaced from their homes, their livelihoods destroyed. Over 14 million people have been affected by these floods, more than the 2004 Tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined.
Since the flooding began, I have laid awake at night, haunted by the images of the tragedy – families wading through what was once their homes, villages submerged under water, people frantically escaping to safe areas not already destroyed by the floods. This disaster is bigger than anything you or I have seen in recent years. But it is not productive to just lament about the loss and tragedy of this disaster. It is not enough to hang our heads or blame leaders for their lack of action. If we want to help the millions suffering, we have to actually do something to help.
As many of you know, I’m the director of Social Vision, the venture philanthropy arm of ML Resources. Social Vision provides seed funding and support for innovative initiatives and social entrepreneurs/enterprises in their earliest stages. Earlier this week, I received a call from my friend, Mahnaz Fancy, who was one of the founders of Pakistani Peace Builders, a new initiative of Pakistani-Americans and concerned global citizens, the group behind the recent Sufi Music Festival in New York City. Mahnaz shared many of my same frustrations about responses to the disaster, and offered the most time-sensitive solution – a grassroots donation campaign to benefit the millions impacted by the floods in Pakistan, a campaign that would appeal to both Pakistanis and non-Pakistanis.
We got to work immediately, designing a campaign that would leverage social media and grassroots giving to fund raise in the most efficient way possible. Therefore, rather than five people giving funds to five different (albeit all well-deserving) organizations, this campaign would enable those same five people to donate to one relief organization, an agency we had thoroughly vetted and were in close contact with. Therefore, the campaign aims to centralize donations in order to maximize impact of those funds.
This of course was a lot easier said than done, given the tremendous work of numerous relief agencies on the ground, both international and Pakistani. However, after much deliberation and due diligence, ML Social Vision and PPB chose Mercy Corps, a global aid agency, as the direct recipient of these donations. We made this decision based on Mercy Corps’ stellar reputation and credibility in the West and on the ground, its transparency, its ability to respond quickly to emergencies, and its previous work in Pakistan. Not only has the organization already launched its fundraising appeal, it also coordinates directly with local communities and organizations in Pakistan. Mercy Corps also doesn’t attempt to do too much, and instead concentrates on doing things well – it’s currently focusing on providing clean water, staple foods and clean-up tools for affected families mainly in Swat Valley and Sindh, two of the worst hit areas.
On Thursday, our campaign – Relief4Pakistan – went live, and we set our first fundraising goal at $100,000, with ML Social Vision providing the first $10,000 to jump start the campaign. Since then, we have managed to raise over $19,000, which is fantastic, but we still have a way to go before hitting our goal. So please, donate by clicking here. Every dollar (or foreign currency!) counts. The money will go directly towards Mercy Corps and will be earmarked for their flood efforts. You can also join our Facebook page, where you will receive updates on our progress, news on the disaster, as well as updates we will post from Mercy Corps’ efforts on the ground. Given that tomorrow is Pakistan Day, there is nothing more patriotic you can do than donate or support the numerous families affected by the floods. If you decide to hold your own fundraiser, and are not sure where to donate the funds you receive, please feel free to contact us or donate it directly.
At a time of such tremendous tragedy, the best way to make a difference is to help. Thanks and Happy Pakistan Day!
[...] said waters have unexpectedly begun to rise at the […] Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan al jazeera, al jazeera english, cholera, embankments, first wave, flood victims, floods, indus [...]
The participation of the bloggers in this thread reflects the attitude. You start a controversial topic, the thread is filled with response, where as when it is toward a good cause, people have no time to it.
Thank you for a great initiative.
are you accepting donations in other forms (clothes, medicine, food, etc)?
Hey Asim-
Thanks! No we are not – given that Mercy Corps needs specific funds to channel into their relief efforts, we decided that soliciting monetary donations rather than goods was more needed, since they have done the needs assessment on the ground and have figured out what is really required. Thanks so much again!
Dear all,
Assalam O Alikum, I am from Karachi, I;ve went Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa for some relief efforts with my friends. I’ve visited Naushehra, Chahrsada and many related areas in last days, Have found enough problems related to effectees, We did try our best to give
aid on first hand, but that was so little according the number of victims. We don’t know where is the govt but have seen Armed forces in action and there Jawan who are in try to work hard for the effectees.
I am requesting to all of you to have a look of my link and try to make your own group for those effectees areas specially for Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa which is most effected by the flood and still facing many issues. there’s a huge need of volunuteer’s, Doctor’s, peramedic, female’s, Kids assistance with a huge number of clothes, medicines, tents. fresh / mineral water.
If you have money for them so this have never mean as money is not everything.
Please my Pakistani Brother and sister give a hand of courage to our brother and sister and leave out from your homes and try to manage funds, collect the clothes, food stuff, medicines from every single person you know. This will make a huge contribution for all of our effected brother and sisters.
Jazak ALLAH
Mansoor Ahmed
A group of volunteer’s
My dear friends,
Assalam O Alkum & Good afternoon.
This is Mansoor Ahmed one of the citizen of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, living in Karachi “The city of the light”. With a little bit intro let me try to aware or awake you about the recent condition of the flood effectees (Victims) here in Pakistan. As many of you very well aware about the recent condition and situation in the flood affected areas with the help of print or electronic media. But, there’re many of the areas are still under the deep water and the peoples live on that areas are helpless and ready for dying with hunger, decease & other causes. I will try to give a short view in below of the areas which I have seen one of the most flood effected province “Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa” of Pakistan. Although all of the Pakistan has got trouble from the flood but Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa is almost 80-85% drown in the flood water.
I’ve visited Naushehra, Chaharsada, Sawat in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa with my relief team. “I’m not an organization nor NGO” I’ve made a volunteer group for the relief efforts in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa with the help of my friends and family members from Karachi & Lahore. We did try our best to collect things such as like Clothes, Food stuff, Medicines and few of the female related stuff from our friends and family. But as we reached at Naushehra, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. We have seen a large number of effected are looking and awaiting for the aid and help. Not only in Naushehra but Charsada and others areas are facing most worse condition in these days.
Government Efforts: I’ve never seen till August 13 any kind of the government base efforts for the help less people of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, but few of the provisional officer are visiting and in try to facilitate victims with there limted resources but none of from Federal Government. Pakistani Armed forces are playing an active role to save and rescue the lives from danger and they are still working without any break or hold. Numbers of Choppers (Heli) are so less they are not enough to make a large level of rescue or relief operation. WHO, Save the Children, UN & others level of organizations are about to start there work but they have some reservation from the government side and Taliban side (peace & security is another big issue in this areas) I’ve never seen any kind of the big or large level of the activity from Pakistani NGO’s instead few of them are working in Peshawar or Sawat to distribute food stuff or few of the medicines.
I’ve requesting at on the behalf of victims of the flood of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa with all of the NGO’s, Government of Pakistan, National & International donors, social wings of the political & religious parties, specially students of School, Colleges, Universities & Madarsa’s that please came out from your home, make teams of the volunteers and try to get inside in the effected areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa as soon as you can. You’ll find thousands of the peoples who are waiting for water to drink, food to eat, medicines, clothes etc. You can bring any thing you can be like food stuff, medicines, clothes etc and this is easily to collect from your friends and families. Once if you decided to do that work to save humanity you’ll get success in your target. Timings are so important to achieve the target.
I’m also collecting the things from my friends, family member, my office colleges, and neighbors and again making a plan to visit effected areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.
So, please take your part to save humanity in this worse situation. The people of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa are also human, they are also Pakistani same like us. And being a Human this is our responsibility to save there lives with our hand. Once we unite no one can beat us whatever the flood, earthquake or anything else.
I’m writing few of the things which required urgently in the effected areas of Khyber Pakhtooknkhwa.
· Mineral Water (Unlimited quantity)
· Food Stuff (Unlimited Quantity)
· Medicines (for Peds, Neonates / Kids especially – all related deceases “unlimited qty”)
· Clothes (for kids, females, males – unlimited quantity)
· Bed sheets, Mat, Tents, Utensils, Match box or burning liters, Coal or wood, Candles or batteries etc.
Dear all, the above mentioned items are easily available in local markets, our friends, or family members can purchase atlest one of any thing for the vicitims of the flood and one by one you can collect many of the things just in a few days. After that make yours own volunteer teams. Try to reach in these areas. You’ll find peace of mind, heart and soul, I believe on this.
Important thing:
As I am working since many days with the victims of the flood in these areas, especially in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, I’ve never find any Taliban elements here at Naushehra or Chaharsada at all but few of the trouble makers who want to loot or some things from aids of the victims. This thing is totally concern with law enforcement agencies but nothing more then it. If you are visiting in this area make sure to work with the help of the local community or people they will protect you, your lives and things more then there lives, I assure. Just believe on ALLAH Almighty, faith, and the cause for you are doing efforts none will hurt you at all. Insha ALLAH.
Hope to hear you soon.
Your brother
Mansoor Ahmed
A volunteer working with a team of volunteers in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan.
for the further details of our relief efforts please visit;
http://ashiyanacamp.blogspot.com
http://pakistaniadnan.wordpress.pk
http://pakistanimansoor.wordpress.com
Or to work volunterly, To donate Clothes, Food stuff, Mediciens, Please contact on the following;
+92 313 279 8085
+92 343 535 7247
+92 333 342 6031
Or email us
faryal.zehra@gmail.com
mansoorahmed27@yahoo.com
s_adnan_ali_naqvi@yahoo.ca
Hello … Need your help with coordination of the flood relief efforts. Sahana Foundation has developed a disaster management system, which was deployed successfully in Haiti earlier this year. It’s used to track disaster-affected areas and people and to follow relief efforts. They’ve customised the software for Pakistan and you can find it at:
http://pakistan.sahanafoundation.org/eden
There will be a training session on how to use the software on Monday (tomorrow, Aug 16) at 4 p.m. at the IBA City Campus, Karachi. Please spread the word and ask people to contribute whatever data they have, as well as to attend the training session. There will be another session on Tuesday at NED Karachi, which will be telecasted live to Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar & Faisalabad.
Thanks!
Several people who donated readily to Hurrican Katrina, the Indonesian Tsunami and even Gaza, are hesitant or outright against donating to Pakistan. They give several reasons, number one being corrupt government, then the other one people like to throw at Pakistan all the time is from the “reap what you sow” line of thinking, overpopulation, poor infrastructure and funding terrorism instead of dams and flood prevention –
It is hard to get anyone outside the muslim and pakistani community to donate to this disaster. We live in Canada.
I agree Stranded, thanks for your comment. That’s essentially why we launched this initiative – to garner a response from not just the Pakistani, who are already donating, but the non-Pakistani community, who have been less responsive. We hoped by choosing a reputable and transparency agency like Mercy Corps, who are extremely credible to Americans, that this would garner a better response. So far we’ve raised nearly $19,000 which has been great so far MA! We just need to keep pushing.
I can echo that in the UK, many people I’ve talked to are happy to ‘let them die’ (in the words of one lady in the office). They have had many years of negative stories from Pakistan, it is commonly believed that the countries government support those fighting the British in Afghanistan and has a number of training camps that those looking to attack stuff in the uk have attended. Oh and the UK media always has stories of ‘backward’ Pakistan immigrant families engaging in honour killings, forced marriages, local gangs, protests against everyone around them and ‘not wanting to be British’. And thats just your ‘average’ bloke. Ask someone who follows current events and they will add Pakistans vast military spending on gear to fight India not insurgents, its nuclear weapons, its support of attacks in India, its domestic laws and practices and so on.
All in all, many people simply don’t like Pakistanis and its to the point that they would rather let them suffer. The fund raising in the office involved a number of events and in the book sale there was even one chap asking for his money to go to a different country/charitable appeal.
Kulsoom,
There are so many worthy organizations to donate to, but those around me (myself included) are usually skeptical about whether the money we donate will actually make it to those in need immediately, or will it be tied up in red-tape or even used for operational costs. The fact that you have vetted out an organization and are in close contact with them raises my comfort level in making donations. I have passed along the info regarding “Relief4Pakistan” to pretty much everyone I know! Thanks for taking the initiative!
Thanks Aamer! And thanks for passing it along – that’s how we hope to gain momentum!
Please remeber that costs ofr this type of operation are very high and frankly nessecery. To get basic supplies in is both labour and capital intensive in this sort of area where what little infrastructure existed has been badly damaged.
Organisations like the UN pay very high salaries to staff and shifting more people in costs a lot. Likewise the security concerns means most ‘professional’ aid organisations have to spend more on security arrangements to ensure they can efficiently carry out their operations and finally all organisations need local staff and here you get the best organisaed people ont he ground, who, due to the realities of life and what they need to suceed in their line of work, are often linked to criminal or in this case area potentially terrorist activities that will result in the diversion of potentially large amounts of aid. Not to mention of course many organisations need the money to survive and continue to employ people and equip their offices for the aid work they do globally, and these emergencies are what often give them the nessecery boosts to function the rest of the time (new computers for instance).
But all this is a consequence of the area and the industry, you can’t make it magically efficient now when the disaster is happening. Thats pressure and debate to have after people have stopped dying.
But yes, hopefully reducing the number of organisations results in less costs – but only until that organisations capacity is reached, after that point they just subcontract other charities and organisations anyway.
well done, Kalsoom, well done, what an utterly amazing initiative. congratulations- ive heard this is moving forward with great speed. best best wishes, x shayma
Yes given abundant amount even non. Pakistan Ummah given
my concern what has. Bilawal given to the poor nothing still
Pakistan going. Grow I’m make Dawah we become united need.
To address the internal problems so society. Can achieve harmony no this not words. Possible with commitments ishAllah
With the name of ALLAH Almighty
Assalam O Alikum.
With due respect, please accept our deep appology for being late on blogspot and in personal contact regardng our works. But, as you know we are working in the area which are fully effected and there’s no internet access is available for the proper corresponding. Today few of our volunteer’s came here at Rawalpindi for the purchasing of few things with medicines for our medical camp at Naoushehra. and we are able to contact and update our friends with our works.
What we did in last date:
Dear all, here’s a summary of our works, which we have done with the flood victims in Naushehra, Chaharsada , Akora Khatak and arround.
Medical camp: Approx: 2250 childs and women has been treated with medicines.
Food stuff: Approx: 500 poeples has been served with one time meal (at dinner) on last 7-8 days.
Clothes: about 3800 suites has been distributed into kids, womens and mens is in the Naushehra & Chaharsada areas in last 10
days.
Water filter plant: there’re two water filter plant in pipe line and awaiting for the final approval from local authorites (allocation of the
place for instalation).
What we wants to do as more:
My friends there are many things are in front of ours to do, but now me and my firneds has decided to continue with medical camps a kind of mobile medical camp, in which I’ve need to medicate especially kids b/w 1month to 14-years. We wants to medicate womens, who are facing many of the issues after the flood. But, unfortunatly we dont have enough amount with us to purchase medicines, we dont have any consultant or physician with us. we dont have a number of peramedic with us.
Please, treat this message as request, as an appeal from our brother’s, sisters and kids of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. We are looking for a large number of Doctors “Specially for kids & ladies” a large number of peramedics and a huge amount of the medicines “specially child & women related”. So, please come here at Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa with your teams and mediciens and help out the vicitms of the flood.
Jazak ALLAH
Your Brother
Mansoor Ahmed & Team.
http://aab-e-hayaat.blogspot.com
http://pakistaniadnan.wordpress.pk
For contact: +92 333 3426031 / +92 313 279 8085 / +92 323 846 6089