13 August 2010
Nearly £20,000 raised in a week from Methodist Pakistan appeal
An appeal launched by the Methodist Relief and Development Fund
(MRDF) has raised nearly £20,000 in a week after devastating floods
hit Pakistan.
The funds will help to support some of the people affected by the
disaster, along with a £15,000 grant sent by the World Mission Fund
to the Peshawar Diocese. The United Nations is warning of a second
wave of death and disease and food shortages. Over 1,600 people
have already died and 14 million have been affected by the
flooding.
Authorities continue to evacuate people from their homes as heavy
monsoon rains surge from north-west Pakistan into the south. There
are reports of 2,000 villages being washed away in the Sindh
province alone. Relief efforts have been hampered in some areas as
flood waters destroyed roads and bridges and caused huge areas of
forest to slide into villages, isolating thousands of survivors.
Soldiers and aid workers struggled to reach them as helicopters
were grounded and had to use donkeys to deliver vital aid to some
regions.
Speaking of the deteriorating situation, Alla Calma, Deputy
Director of Church World Service Pakistan's Disaster Management
Programme, reported that: 'While the needs of affected people may
be extensive, concerns about insufficient or no access to
healthcare and sanitation facilities are also increasing. The
longer people remain without shelter, food, and safe drinking
water, the higher the risks are for illness.'
Donations to MRDF's appeal are helping to provide food packages to
families in the Swat Valley and Kohistan Districts, some of the
worst affected by the flooding. The packages include flour, rice,
cooking oil and pulses. Gifts will also help to buy winterised
tents and plastic sheets. Vulnerable families in the Swat Valley
and Mansehra Districts will have access to medical attention,
thanks in part to MRDF's appeal. Three mobile health clinics have
been set up in these areas. MRDF is working through its emergency
partner in the region, Action by Church Together (ACT)
International.
The grant sent by the World Mission Fund is supporting an emergency
Relief and Rescue programme for more than 1,300 families affected
by the floods. The Diocese of Peshawar is putting all its efforts
into reaching those still stranded by the floods and providing
affected families with food.
Steve Pearce, World Church Partnership Coordinator, said: 'It is
difficult to imagine suffering on this scale and in response we can
only
pray and support those who are offering physical help. I know
Methodists will do both effectively. Our partner church in Peshawar
is working with the Christian and Hindu minorities as well as the
Muslim majority in the region and keeping in close contact with us.
Please pray for Bishop Humphrey as he leads them.'
MRDF Director Kirsty Smith said: 'The torrential rains have had a
catastrophic effect on so many communities. It looks likely to
affect even more people in the long-term than those affected by the
Asian tsunami. Our emergency fund gives us - and the people who
have donated to it - the opportunity to provide swift and tangible
assistance to people in the midst of this crisis. We are very
grateful to everyone who has given, and we intend to support as
many people as we can in the immediate and longer-term.'
To donate to MRDF's emergency fund, visit www.mrdf.org.uk, or call 020
7224 4814 to give by debit or credit card or by a cheque made
payable to 'MRDF (Pakistan emergency)' and sent to MRDF, 25
Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR.
Taxpayers are encouraged to gift aid their donations where
possible, adding 28p to every pound they give, at no extra personal
cost.