Displaced Pakistanis Hit Twice: Fear Grows, Funding Staggers
· Most fled to impoverished host communities where resources stretched to breaking point · Families had to abandon crops just weeks before harvest; livestock, homes also lost · Even as crisis grows, aid agency concerned its current funding won’t meet needs
Islamabad, Pakistan, May 16, 2009 --(PR.com)-- As the number of displaced civilians in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province continues to grow, aid agency World Vision is warning that the majority who fled their homes (85 percent) are living in host communities where basic services like water, sanitation, health and education were already limited.
In one of the first trips by a relief organization into Pakistan’s conflict zone yesterday, World Vision found the chief concern among internally displaced people was the long-term hospitality of their hosts—along with crops they had to abandon, now spoiling in the fields. At the same time, the agency is concerned its global fundraising efforts will be impacted by the financial crisis.
“One father told me, ‘If we don’t get back to our homes by the end of May, we’ll lose our agriculture—and our livelihood—for the year,’” said World Vision’s director in Pakistan, Graham Strong, who led the rapid assessment team to Buner District. “These families have lost their only source of income, along with livestock and homes destroyed by shelling. They don’t know how they’ll feed their children when they return.”
“Another key concern for displaced families is how long they’ll be welcome in host communities,” explained Graham. “These villages were destitute before the arrival of the refugees. Now, basic services like health, education and water and sanitation that were stretched before are reaching their breaking point.”
World Vision plans to start distributing emergency items to 200 families this week, but is concerned that lack of funds for this emergency may limit its plans to provide aid to thousands more over the next six months.
“Thousands and thousands urgently need help, but we’re out of reserves and must rely entirely on the generosity of our supporters in order to expand our response during these tight economic times,” said Randy Strash, disaster fundraising specialist for World Vision in the United States.
The agency has seen cases of respiratory infections, scabies and diarrhea in displaced children and adults, and malaria is also a concern.
“Immediate funds raised in the United States could supply ‘family survival kits’ with things like bedding, hygiene kits, pots and pans for cooking and mosquito nets,” Strash said.
More than half of the displaced—now estimated to number more than 1 million—are women and children, who are most vulnerable in terms of health and protection.
However, some of the displaced told World Vision they worry they may have to move on from villages that have welcomed them: “We feel so vulnerable right now. How long will the hosts want to keep us?” asked one father of three who fled to Dagai Village in Buner District.
“The Pakistani people are responding very generously to the needs of their neighbors who have fled the conflict,” said Graham. “But with such a strain on scarce resources, there is potential for conflict over time. So it’s critical for relief groups to meet the needs of not only the displaced, but also the communities hosting them.”
The public can help by visiting www.worldvision.org or calling 1.888.56.CHILD.
###
World Vision staff in Pakistan are available for interviews. Contact Rachel Wolff at 253.394.2214 or rwolff@worldvision.org.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
In one of the first trips by a relief organization into Pakistan’s conflict zone yesterday, World Vision found the chief concern among internally displaced people was the long-term hospitality of their hosts—along with crops they had to abandon, now spoiling in the fields. At the same time, the agency is concerned its global fundraising efforts will be impacted by the financial crisis.
“One father told me, ‘If we don’t get back to our homes by the end of May, we’ll lose our agriculture—and our livelihood—for the year,’” said World Vision’s director in Pakistan, Graham Strong, who led the rapid assessment team to Buner District. “These families have lost their only source of income, along with livestock and homes destroyed by shelling. They don’t know how they’ll feed their children when they return.”
“Another key concern for displaced families is how long they’ll be welcome in host communities,” explained Graham. “These villages were destitute before the arrival of the refugees. Now, basic services like health, education and water and sanitation that were stretched before are reaching their breaking point.”
World Vision plans to start distributing emergency items to 200 families this week, but is concerned that lack of funds for this emergency may limit its plans to provide aid to thousands more over the next six months.
“Thousands and thousands urgently need help, but we’re out of reserves and must rely entirely on the generosity of our supporters in order to expand our response during these tight economic times,” said Randy Strash, disaster fundraising specialist for World Vision in the United States.
The agency has seen cases of respiratory infections, scabies and diarrhea in displaced children and adults, and malaria is also a concern.
“Immediate funds raised in the United States could supply ‘family survival kits’ with things like bedding, hygiene kits, pots and pans for cooking and mosquito nets,” Strash said.
More than half of the displaced—now estimated to number more than 1 million—are women and children, who are most vulnerable in terms of health and protection.
However, some of the displaced told World Vision they worry they may have to move on from villages that have welcomed them: “We feel so vulnerable right now. How long will the hosts want to keep us?” asked one father of three who fled to Dagai Village in Buner District.
“The Pakistani people are responding very generously to the needs of their neighbors who have fled the conflict,” said Graham. “But with such a strain on scarce resources, there is potential for conflict over time. So it’s critical for relief groups to meet the needs of not only the displaced, but also the communities hosting them.”
The public can help by visiting www.worldvision.org or calling 1.888.56.CHILD.
###
World Vision staff in Pakistan are available for interviews. Contact Rachel Wolff at 253.394.2214 or rwolff@worldvision.org.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
Contact
World Vision
Rachel Wolff
253.394.2214
www.worldvision.org/press
Rachel Wolff
253.394.2214
www.worldvision.org/press
Contact
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