Pakistan: It keeps getting worse

20 million people are affected, more than the combined impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, 2005 Kashmir earthquake and this year’s Haiti earthquake. 6 million are in need of life-saving assistance. Unclean water and bad sanitation are contributing to the risk of disease. The United Nations has warned that 3.5 million children face the danger of cholera and hundreds of thousands of survivors remain cut off from rescue more than 2 weeks after the Pakistan’s worse-ever flooding hit the country.

 

The U.N. has reported that one fifth of the country is now under water and some 900,000 people are homeless. Towns, villages as well as roads, bridges buildings and crops have been washed away and lost.

 

While the U.N.’s Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visited Pakistan, the U.N. reported that only a quarter of the $459 million in aid needed had, in fact arrived. Billions will be needed in the long term to deal with the extent of this catastrophe.

 

According to an Aug. 6 AP article, only $506 million has been provided to Haiti, less than 10% of the$5.3 billion pledged. This is nearly 7 months after the devastating earthquake killed nearly 250,000 people in this tiny island country.

 

 

There are many organizations helping out. Below are a couple of suggestions but the most important thing is to help: not to pledge to help, but to help.

 

Canadian Red Cross: read about relief efforts; make a donation

 

Unicef Canada