Pakistan Relief Efforts
Greetings Dear Friends:
If you haven’t already heard, it has been about a month since heavy monsoons caused the worst flooding in Pakistan's history. It is estimated that one-fifth of its territory is now submerged under water. The flood waters have flooded 17 million acres of agricultural land. Along with the crops, some 200,000 animals have perished. The total number of people affected as a direct result has climbed to 20 million. The number of displaced people has risen to nearly 5 million, “the largest movement of people in the region since the subcontinent's partition in 1947.”
The bad news is that the numbers just keep rising. Consequently, outbreaks of cholera and dysentery have heightened fears of a wider spread of deadly water-borne diseases. The number of people reported to be suffering from acute diarrhea has reached 200,000; an equal number have been hit by respiratory illnesses. Death rates are spiraling; this disaster has been assessed as being more devastating than the 2005 Tsunami!
This update is not meant to discourage, but to request for your aid toward alleviating some of this pain and suffering. Nadia, our coordinator/facilitator on the ground in Pakistan has written us the letter below with some accompanying pictures. Please read through her real time account. At the close of her letter, we have provided you with some easy options through which you can make a contribution of either financial or tangible supplies.
My friends, the least we ask for is your prayers.
Sincerely,
Isaac Moonzwe
Executive Director
Click here to read the ground report.