The Irish Red Cross has called on families, communities, workplaces, and sports clubs to organise fundraising efforts to provide essential services and equipment to flooded areas in the devastated country.
Sheila Callan, chairperson of the Irish Red Cross Overseas Working Group, said that Red Cross/Red Crescent teams on the ground report that persistent heavy rain in Pakistan's north-west is hampering efforts to restore essential infrastructure, slowing the delivery of relief and increasing the number of homeless.
“We have sent €50,000 from the Irish Red Cross Emergency Response Fund,” Ms Callan said. “However we urgently need more money. There are at least 500,000 people homeless across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Together with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, the Red Cross movement has already provided food, tents, and shelter materials to over 77,000 flood-affected people and medical teams have assisted 15,000 people. However the continuing heavy rain means accessing those in need of assistance is an ongoing challenge.”
Red Cross/Red Crescent water engineers have been deployed to pump water from buildings and to restore community water supplies alongside the aid to distribute food, bottled water, tents, shelter materials, kitchen sets, and hygiene items to hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children.
Even when the flood waters recede the humanitarian needs of the people of Pakistan are expected to be immense, with recovery needs extending beyond 2012.
Ms Callan explained that if everyone just gave a few euro it would make a very real difference to the lives of those suffering.
“We need you, the public, to help in whatever way you can, by organising events in aid of the Red Cross, shaking buckets or even arranging for a collection in your workplace, college, or school. If everyone can give just few euro it will allow us to send more emergency aid to Pakistan,” she said.
“The Irish Red Cross has already received immense support from the Irish public this year whose generosity has so far raised over €3 million for the people of Haiti and over €1 million for those who were victims of the flooding in Ireland. This humanitarian aid has helped people at home in Ireland and in Haiti recover from these terrible disasters. Right now the people of Pakistan need your help.”
Donations to the Pakistan Emergency Floods Appeal are being accepted online at www.redcross.ie or by calling 1850 50 70 70.
