HOPE's Flood Relief Appeal

HOPE, an NGO in Pakistan, has been working for the benefit of the poor and needy women and children in the urban areas of Karachi as well as rural Sindh. Main activities of HOPE, are focused on Health and Education. HOPE has very actively taken part in the relief operation during the floods in 2010, extending from KPK in the north, Punjab as well as Sindh. In 2011 floods, the worst affected District in Sindh was Badin with the affected population rising to 1,021,301. Other Districts such as T.M Khan, Mirphurkhas and Tharpakar were also among the worst affected.

 The monsoons as per their  yearly cycle visited the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent yet again. This time with much more venom than in the previous years. The devastating floods that the rains unleashed have broken all  previous records of the last quarter of a century. The destruction so far caused  has been unprecedented in terms of loss of property and standing crops but in terms of  human lives lost it has been far worse ~ more than 300 precious lives have so far been lost in the current floods in Punjab alone. And more rains are expected to lash the upper regions of  Punjab and Azad Kashmir.Authorities warned hundreds of thousands more to be prepared to flee their homes as helicopters and boats raced to save marooned victims. The catastrophe is far worst than the flooding of 2010 which killed 1,700 people. Pakistani troops have been using boats and helicopters to drop food supplies for stranded families and evacuate victims. However, the challenge of the situation grows as more than 1.5 million people are now affected as the rushing waters have destroyed the homes of thousands of families. The floods have triggered landslides in Kashmir, and caused much devastation in northern and eastern Pakistan. The rains washed away houses, bridges, communication equipment and crops. Pakistani  troops have so far evacuated more than 40,000 people. They are in dire need of emergency relief, in the form of medical care, food and shelter ration and safe drinking water. The displaced people, especially women and young children, are being affected by various waterborne illnesses like diarrhea, gastroenteritis, skin infection, and so on. In addition, as the number of IDPs rise, so does the need for food and safe drinking water.

Given its vast experience in emergency relief management, and the guidance of Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, child specialist in Karachi and chairperson of HOPE, teams comprising of doctors, paramedics and social workers to the affected areas are being sent to provide urgent attention. Emergency medical care will be provided, food and  ration will be distributed and safe drinking water will be made accessible.

Teams made as per instructions of Dr Mubina Agboatwalla, child specialistin Karachi and chairperson of HOPE, have been sent to major schools and other institutions in Karachi to spread  awareness of the intensity  of current  floods that have virtually gripped the whole country and the anticipated after-effects the flood –affectees are likely to  face  ~ and also to solicit donations and assistance for this cause.