Pakistan

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Photo of the week: why have we left Pakistan stranded?

20 August 2010 by Archie Law | 3 comments

The devastating floods in Pakistan have killed less people than that of the Haiti earthquake or the 2004 tsunami. But it does and will continue to impact twenty million people that are trying to flee the area – larger than Italy (check out the comparison against Australia) – still underwater.

The reaction to the unprecedented scale of disaster has been slow, including from Pakistan’s own government. For example, to date, US$251 million dollars has been provided for Pakistan while at the same point in time, the Haiti earthquake had raised $637 million.

UN secretary, Ban Ki-Moon has said, “Pakistan is facing a slow-motion tsunami. Its destructive powers will accumulate and grow with time”. So why has the international community been so slow to react?

Setting up ActionAid’s distribution point in Jharo, Upper Swat, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan. A local person has volunteered his hujira to our partner to be used as a storage and distribution point.

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A reflection on World Humanitarian Day (with Pakistan front of mind)

19 August 2010 by Archie Law | 2 comments

World Humanitarian Day provides an opportunity for all people to celebrate the life saving efforts of the global humanitarian community (see official video below).

At a personal level it provides an opportunity to reflect and remember the dedication of my former colleagues who were killed and injured on that first World Humanitarian Day on 19 August 2003 when the UN Headquarters in Baghdad came under attack.

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“We have nothing to eat now”

17 August 2010 by Archie Law | 6 comments

The disaster in Pakistan is unprecedented and over 14 million people are struggling to survive as a result of the floods. I thought I would share a brief report from ActionAid’s Communciations Manager in Pakistan, Javeria Malik, on her recent visit to to Punjab Province to give a sense of the devastation facing the people of Pakistan.

“Abdul Qayyum was crying as he told me his story. Previously a prosperous owner of a grocery shop, he had seen all his hard work and family’s wealth washed away when floods hit the Punjabi city of Kot Addu.

Like millions of others, he despaired at the government’s lack of help.

‘We’ve been totally on our own,’ he said. ‘Now we’re going back home – and God knows how long it will take us to repair.’

Abdul’s story has been repeated many times in the three weeks I’ve travelled across Pakistan, visiting the badly hit areas, meeting families escaping the flood waters. At first I saw people stranded in upper Swat due to washed away bridges and roads, and more recently met those returning to their collapsed homes in Southern Punjab, who were attempting to recover at least some of their belongings.

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Pakistan Floods: We need your help!!

12 August 2010 by Archie Law | 2 comments

I am deeply concerned about the situation in Pakistan at the moment. Widespread flooding due to unusually heavy monsoon rains across Pakistan has so far claimed the lives of up to 1,600 people, with over 1,000 injured, according to the Government of Pakistan and the UN.

These same sources estimate that almost 14 million people have been affected by the flooding. This figure is higher than the number of people affected by the 2005 South Asia tsunami (five million), the 2005 South Asia earthquake (three million), or the 2010 Haiti earthquake (three million).

The estimate of homes destroyed or seriously damaged — 290,000 — is almost the same as those destroyed in Haiti. According to OCHA spokesperson Maurizio Giuliano, between 6 and 7 million are in immediate need of food and other items.

ActionAid’s own staff in Pakistan have commented that “Roads and bridges have been washed away or badly damaged in the Swat Valley. The only way to get to the worst affected, far flung areas is by walking over difficult and slippery mountainous path. Continuing rains make it even more challenging, especially for women.  Electricity and communication systems are disrupted and it will take a long time for the effects of such a large scale disaster to settle. With new flood warnings coming in, government and aid agencies will have to scale up their response.”

One of my colleagues in Kot Adu (District Muzaffargarh) has told us that he could see “people sitting on roof tops waiting for rescue and relief. They had not had water or food for more than 24 hours. Women and children were in a miserable state.

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Photo of the week: Pakistan needs your help

3 August 2010 by Archie Law | 1 comment

Over the past few days, Pakistan has been affected by some of its worst floods in eighty years. Over a thousand people have died and more than two million people have been affected by these floods.

Tens of thousands of people have been forced to shelter on rooftops, trees and electricity poles.

An estimated 70 percent of the region’s livestock is gone as thousands of acres of crops, schools, homes and infrastructure has been washed away by the floods.

So far, the Pakistani government has delivered little immediate aid.

A young girl stands next to a building in Bazargai, Pakistan. Six months after the devastating 2005 earthquake, people continued facing new obstacles in rebuilding their communities.

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How would you want your $100 spent?

6 January 2010 by Archie Law | 22 comments

Education is one of the best ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty, and a powerful weapon in the fight against AIDS. Education is often seen as a privilege. It is not. It is one of many human rights that poor people are denied every day.

Sima Akhter (8) during lessons in class three of Changacol Government Primary school in Shahrasti, Chandpur, Bangladesh

Eight year old Sima during lessons in class three of a government primary school in Chandpur, Bangladesh

However, 72 million children in the world’s poorest countries – 57% of them girls – are denied a primary education while around 750 million adults are considered illiterate.

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