World Vision Pakistan donates a day's pay to raise $3,700 for meeting the desperate needs of those affected.

July 31, 2007

By Dana Palade, Pakistan Communications Manager, and Janet Root, Assistant Web Editor

World Vision staff in Pakistan is putting its wages where its heart is.

Moved by the desperate need of tens of thousands of flood survivors in remote Sindh and Balochistan provinces, our staff donated one day's wages to collect nearly $3,700 for the cause.

Unsafe Living Conditions

Taj Mohammad Brohi's family typifies the dire conditions of those who have survived the recent storms, including Cyclone Yemyin, which have ravaged southern Pakistan.

For several weeks, the Brohi family has lived in a makeshift shelter on the shoulder of a major thoroughfare in flood-crippled Sindh province. Water and food supplies are scarce, temperatures often spike to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, and there are no sanitation or health facilities.

The family is not alone. They are among nearly 20,000 such survivors crowding the nine-mile highway that cuts through the Shahdadkot plains, leading toward the city of Kobu Said Khan that borders hard-hit Balochistan province.

'At Least We Are All Here'

Standing floodwaters near the Brohi family's squalid shelter merely reminds them of their many losses. "We barely escaped the rising waters," says Taj. "There's not much we could take on the donkey cart; only a few belongings. But now, at least we are all here."

The Brohis are farmers by trade, as are most residents from the nearly 200 villages surrounding Kobu Said Khan who say they have lost everything — their homes, crops, and livestock. Since the city remains submerged, it's difficult to know how many have died.

Children Most Affected

Children are particularly disturbed by the harsh conditions in which they're forced to live. Many have gastrointestinal problems. One father says his children are high-strung during daylight hours and suffer disturbing dreams at night.

Sharma, who holds her infant son, Abdul Karim, says her main concern is for the boy's health, which she knows will quickly deteriorate without clean water and food.

In response to these needs, emergency funds will be allocated initially to provide children with psychosocial support through Child-Friendly Spaces, says Graham Strong, World Vision's country director in Pakistan.

World Vision is also providing emergency shelter and non-food items to survivors.

Determination

Another concern hovers like a dark cloud over the heads of local farmers. Most farmers — who belong to the Brohi, Magsi, and Burro tribes — pay rent from the profits of their harvests to a small group of wealthy landowners. The loss of their only source of income from the late June floods has further complicated their struggle to survive.

Despite these hardships, staff members report that residents of the region are determined to return and rebuild their homes and livelihoods once the waters recede.

World Vision continues fundraising efforts after declaring a humanitarian emergency in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Our Pakistan office reports that $2 million is needed to provide flood survivors with critical interventions in health, education, water, and sanitation needs.

So far, $700,000 has been raised for the cause — including the nearly $3,700 our Pakistan staff members have contributed.