September 3, 2013 - In August, heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan have triggered flash floods and caused widespread losses and damage across the country; 1.3 million people have been affected, 193 people died, 879 were reported injured, with thousands displaced and forced to find refuge in camps.
Many families have been affected by floods in the previous year, and now they have lost their livelihoods again, struggling to fend for their children. Stagnant water in the flood affected areas is also posing health threats, with fears of an increase in malaria, dengue and other water-borne diseases.
Barsann Mai, a mother of seven from Rajanpur, says that she has lost her crop last year, and any stored grain she managed to save has been lost again now. Her house has also been damaged, and she is concerned for her children who are suffering from skin diseases and are at risk of malaria.
CARE is helping Government’s efforts by establishing mobile health clinics, aiming to assist up to 25,000 people in the Rajanpur area, in the Punjab province – the most affected region by this year’s floods – providing health services to cater for the immediate and essential health needs of the most affected communities.
“CARE is providing access to health services in a culturally appropriate way, establishing separate areas for women and men in the camps,” said Waleed Rauf, CARE Pakistan Country Director. To date, CARE Pakistan has provided free health consultations and treatment to 501 people, including 277 children. 16 hygiene promotion sessions were also conducted benefitting 559 people. CARE is working in four displaced camps setting up mobile health clinics in spaces where the communities feel comfortable to attend, based on their requests – such as in available schools.
CARE is also providing cash assistance to help those most affected to be able to secure food, and is implementing food programs to improve food security and livelihoods across Pakistan. Whist the situation is now stabilising, more rains are predicted in the early weeks of September.
About CARE in Pakistan:
CARE re-established operations in Pakistan in June 2005, after being out of the country for more than 25 years. CARE works in some of the most remote and logistically challenging areas of Pakistan to address the underlying causes of poverty, with special focus on women, children and the most marginalized people. Our work in Pakistan focuses on: health; education; psychosocial support; water and sanitation; livelihoods; economic development; and disaster management and emergency response.
For more information on our work in Pakistan, please click here.