How to Ensure that Your Help Actually Reaches the Pakistan Flood Victims

 

I have received a number of emails, Twitter and Facebook messages from the readers worldwide, who read my post 21 Faces of The Pakistan Flood, and wanted to contribute for the Pakistan flood victims, asking me to either take their contributions personally from them, or tell them about the single most credible source where they can send their contributions in cash and kind.

In the original post I gave 3 credible sources, but it looks like that didn’t help. I have changed the sources from 3 to only 1 now—Aaj Relief—which I am sure will direct your help to the right people, in the most efficient manner, along with accountability and transparency.

It’s not that the remaining 2 sources (Edhi Foundation and Chippa Welfare Association) are any less credible, but given the demand of the donors, and the fact that those two organizations do not have regularly updated websites (that update every donor how his or her money is being spent and where it is being used), I have decided on the Aaj Relief only. I am myself contributing my money to Aaj Relief.

UPDATE 28 SEP, 2010: Another good source to donate to has come to my attention with the help of Sheila Wall, which is an effort by Canadian Government to help out the Pakistan flood victims. Please check out The HUMANITARIAN COALITION also.

It is unfortunate that the credibility of Pakistani Government and local NGOs is at its lowest point in the history of Pakistan, and people inside and outside Pakistan do not want to trust them at all, in spite of their increasing desire to help the Pakistan flood victims. But I am not here to judge the Government or any NGO.

My sole purpose of writing this post is to bridge the gap between you—the willing and generous donor—and the right organization—which is constantly in touch, on a minute by minute basis, with the people on the ground who are actually doing the relief work.

Along with that, I myself also want to make sure that you are constantly updated online about what is going on, in the field, and how your money is being spent for the flood victims, and in which area. And to ensure that, I chose Aaj Relief, because currently that is the only organization in Pakistan which is providing these services online, through their regularly updated website.

The Governments of the first world countries have not contributed much, due to exactly the same reasons (plus their own on-going economic recessions), and international organization like UNHCR, UNICEF and International Red Cross have been slow in their relief efforts because of the two main reasons, which are;

1. They co-ordinate their efforts with the help of the local Government which is inefficient and unprepared for a disaster of this scale.
2. The victims are not concentrated in a small area, instead they are scattered all over Pakistan, in small groups, which makes reaching out to them a big problem.

In the end, it comes down to us. You and me. I don’t care about the Government but unfortunately we have to get them involved because the scale of the disaster is too big and one person, one organization or even one Government can not handle it all by itself. It has to be a collective effort.

Let us focus on the first step only—giving our contributions to the right organization. The organization that has taken on the responsibility to do all the rest of the work voluntarily. So let’s not waste anymore time and start with helping out, right away.

Please go to the website of Aaj Relief to send your contributions.

UPDATES ON THE CURRENT CONDITIONS OF THE PAKISTAN FLOOD VICTIMS

1. The estimate of the affected people has gone up from 20 Million to 60 Million people who will be displaced from their homes—the homes that have totally disappeared from the face of the Earth.
2. Epidemics like cholera have broken out and diseases like watery diarrhea and dysentery are rampant along with skin diseases and snake bites cases.
3. There is acute shortage of clean drinking water—the biggest problem at present.
4. There is not enough food to give to the flood victims, who go hungry for days without eating anything, and many of them fight over a handful of rice when finally the aid arrives.
5. There are not sufficient tents for the affected families to live in temporarily. They are scattered on the roadsides of the major Pakistani cities, without any shelter.
6. There are a lot of areas where the aid can not reach, either through ground routes (because the roads and bridges have been washed away), or air routes because the hills makes it impossible for the helicopters to land. What little aid goes in those areas, it is taken by individuals on mules who travel on the hilly terrain for 9-10 hours on foot to reach small, scattered villages.
7. There is not enough medical aid and medicine to treat the sick.
8. Children and women are the worst affected segment of population with children dying at a heartbreaking rate—every minute.
9. The rains are still falling incessantly, increasing the scale of damage and hampering relief efforts.
10. Some of the biggest oil refineries and power plants in Pakistan have also been affected by the floods, resulting in severe shortages of fuel for transportation vehicles and electricity.
11. The hunger is driving people mad and they willing to do ANYTHING just to survive.

Please help as much as you can, for it is in these dire times in the history of civilization, that human souls are tested for their strength and their inherent ability to lend a helping hand to a fellow human being in need.

Believe in your humanity and believe that you can help. It doesn’t matter that you give 1 dollar or a million, what matters is your willingness to help, that finally translates into Life for someone else.

Here is the Aaj Relief website again, waiting for your generosity.

Photos Courtesy BBC

SHARING IS CARING