24 August 2010
From www.caritas.org
I would like to share one press release of Caritas with you for your information.
Caritas Rawalpindi distributed 230 relief packages in Nowshera, the most affected city, the relief package comprised of Kitchen sets, Hygiene Kits, bedding sets (4mattresses, 4 pillows and 4 bed sheets).
Caritas is urging donors to boost support to operations in Pakistan following floods that have affected 17 million people.
Caritas will appeal for funds to extend its three month emergency operation to six months. Caritas is concerned that large numbers of people have not yet been reached.
“An enormous number of people need help and Caritas is boosting its operations to ensure they are taken care of. Funds have been promised for current operations but we need to ensure that this money is donated and is transformed into food, tents, water and medicine as soon as possible and before the situation deteriorates further,” says Anila Gill, national director of Caritas Pakistan.
Over 1,500 people have died so far in the flooding. Many more are at risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera and stomach problems.
The challenges presented by the floods are enormous. Some areas are still inaccessible. The number of people who need help is massive. Prices of food and petrol have shot up as supply has been strangled by the floods.
Caritas has been providing food, water, shelter, hygiene and cooking items, as well as medical support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh.
Caritas is also working with communities to identify infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and irrigation channels, that needs to be rebuilt. By doing this it will reconnect people to markets and other services.
A US$5.5 million (4.3 million euro) emergency appeal for funds was launched by Caritas in the early days of the disaster. However, as the number of needy expands rapidly, Caritas is planning to ask for almost double this.
As Pakistani’s struggle with the loss of their homes, possessions and livelihoods, their one hope is that the floods will subside before the planting season in September. If farmers are unable to plant because fields are water-logged, this increases the possibility of a hunger crisis brought on by poor crops at harvesting time.
For more information, please contact Michelle Hough on +39 06 69879721/+39 334 2344136 or hough@caritas.va
Alauddin
I am going to focus on a very narrow part of the story. When asking for international aid, how do you decide how much to give? It seems like such a tough question when there are so many individuals out there who need help. When does the U.S. say, “is that too much?” How should we weigh the amount of aid we give?
when someone talking about a disaster in another part of the world, we listen them as if he is talking about a movie. While the time is flying by, if you can feel what those people faced with the disaster felt in their heart, if you can share their feelings and if you try to save some of your money (no matter how much it is) to share with those people, it means that you are a very special person. Maybe you are an angel on earth without any wings. And I believe that the world is worth to live thanks to these people…
True Charity must embrace all – true charity is meant to touch the lives of every brother and sister who are in need, which means all of us, whether poor and rich. Yes, in Charity, in works of charity, we are called to be present to all, rich and poor alike, albeit from different perspectives.
ALAUDDIN