August 23, 2010
Support needed for Pakistan

Please help people affected by Pakistan's worst flooding in 80 years. We are urgently raising funds for our initial relief effort in Pakistan*. 

Donate now by phoning 212-683-0430 to designate your gift to WaterAid’s relief effort in Pakistan.

By supporting this emergency appeal today, your gift could help save lives and give thousands of vulnerable people in Pakistan the support they urgently need to survive.

In any disaster the most immediate and pressing challenge, and the greatest threat, is access to clean drinking water.
Abdul Hafeez, WaterAid's Program Manager in Pakistan

How is WaterAid responding to the flooding crisis?
In an effort to help the displaced affected by the recent floods in Pakistan, WaterAid has already released funds to assist the efforts of our local partner organizations. Through our partners, we are focusing on the worst affected areas and reaching out to the most vulnerable people. 

The first phase of WaterAid's response will be primarily to provide relief to the displaced communities focusing on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services. The second phase will be to continue our efforts towards the rehabilitation of drinking water sources, hygiene and sanitation facilities. 

We are supporting our local partners in the following activities: 

Hygiene kits:
Hygiene kits will be distributed to help alleviate the immediate impact of the flood. Kits will consist of soaps, tooth brushes, tooth paste, combs, nail cutters, towels, sanitary cloth, cloth for filtering water, water purification tablets and a water vessel (lota). 

Health and hygiene sessions:
Scabies, eye infection and diarrhea are increasing day by day in the flood affected areas. Health and hygiene sessions will be carried out to reduce the ratio of wide spreading diseases like respiratory tract infection, skin infections, diarrhea and malaria. The importance of hand-washing with soap and latrine use will be highlighted and personal hygiene will be discussed. Hygiene messages will be broadcasted on the local FM Radio. In the rehabilitation phase, families will be assisted in building temporary latrines. 

Dissemination of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material:
IEC material with hygiene messages will be disseminated among the affected people who will be asked to adopt and deliver these messages to others. 

Drinking water tankering:
Clean drinking water will be provided through tankers as an interim measure. This water will be tested before supplying to the affected families. 

Drinking water quality testing:
In the flood affected areas, drinking water quality needs to be addressed immediately. The government schemes and communal sources are badly damaged resulting in contamination. The quality of tankers providing water is also questionable. Water quality testing will be carried out to identify the problem and to ensure clean drinking water. 

Emergency water purification and hydration:
Thousands of water purification tablets and oral rehydration sachets will be distributed. 

Assessment and rehabilitation of drinking water supply schemes:
A technical and social assessment of drinking water supply schemes will be carried out. Based on this assessment, water sources at the communal level will be rehabilitated. Dewatering, chlorination and aqua tabs techniques will be used to address drinking water quality. 

Here's how your gift will help:

• $30 will buy hygiene kits of essential items for a family of four, which include a 30 day supply of water purification tablets.
• $56 will pay for a tanker to provide clean water in areas where safe water supplies have been destroyed.
• $95 will pay for a hygiene education session to displacedpeople, giving them that vital knowledge to help keep their families safe from water-borne diseases.

Donate now by phoning 212-683-0430 to designate your gift to WaterAid’s relief effort in Pakistan.

Thank you.

*Your donation will be used to fund our response to the flooding emergency; in the event that we raise more funds than are needed, any additional funds would be spent on our wider program in Pakistan.

Please note, WaterAid is not an emergency response organization, we do however respond where disasters like this affect our long-term work and where we have local partners on the ground ready and able to take action.