Critical lack of funding hampers emergency response in Pakistan
Donations are barely one-quarter of Haiti response
Islamabad, Pakistan (Aug. 12, 2010) - A massive shortfall in relief funds for families devastated by floods in Pakistan is hampering the response to a widening emergency that has left 14 million people in need of urgent assistance.
The number of people affected is now more than that affected by the 2004 South Asia tsunami, the 2005 South Asia earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined. Yet the funding received so far is nowhere near the levels for those emergencies. To date, just US$58 million has been contributed to UN and international aid agencies for the flood response. In comparison, by the second week of the Haiti earthquake, US$241 million had been raised.
"This is a difficult emergency to raise funds for. There is still a level of donor fatigue from the Haiti earthquake, ongoing mass floods aren't as instantly dramatic as an earthquake, and 14 million people affected is a huge number for private donors to comprehend," said Waleed Rauf, CARE's Country Director in Pakistan. "The death toll is thankfully much lower than Haiti, but there are more people affected and the damage to infrastructure is just as catastrophic. But to date less than one-quarter of the funds have been donated compared to the Haiti response. Millions need help, but we're working with one hand tied behind our backs unless funding increases."
While some governments have been generous in channeling funds to the Pakistan government, a disaster of this size requires active involvement by local relief groups and international aid organizations. If the relief response doesn't scale up quickly, there is a risk of a second wave of deaths from water-borne disease or other illnesses.
"Many governments are transferring money to the Pakistan government to help build its capacity. But not enough resources are getting to the international aid groups that are already on the ground, which means they are largely overlooking a huge sector of the response community that has the capacity and is ready to scale up further to respond to this disaster," said Waleed Rauf, CARE's Country Director in Pakistan. "No government is able to handle a disaster of this scale alone."
Government estimates are that more than 700,000 homes have been severely damaged or destroyed, leaving up to five million people homeless. There is still a critical lack of tents, food and heath support. Children are playing in the standing water left in the devastated villages, raising the risk of the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera or diarrhea and increasing the risk of malaria outbreaks.
CARE has launched an initial appeal of US$5 million to help 100,000 people with immediate relief and long-term recovery assistance. To date, we have distributed shelter materials and emergency supplies such as mosquito nets, plastic floor mats, water purification tabs, hygiene kits and kitchen sets to more than 4,000 people in the worst-affected areas of Swat, Charsadda and Nowshera, and our mobile health clinics have treated nearly 5,000 people, mostly women and children.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Thomas Schwarz (in Islamabad): Mobile: +92 307 50 777 31, Mobile: +49 160 745 93 61
Brian Feagans (in Atlanta): +1 404 979 9453, bfeagans@care.org
Melanie Brooks (in Geneva): +41 79 590 30 47, brooks@careinternational.org