Emergency crisis in communities in Northern Pakistan
Pakistan has been hit by the worst flood of its history. According to OCHA
- UN, the number of people affected is higher than the combined total of the
Tsunam
i
in South East Asia, and the earthquakes in Kashmir and Haiti. Our government
says that we have gone 50 years backwards. The infrastructure of the country
has been severely damaged.
Forum for Language Initiatives (FLI) is a non-government and non-profit organisation
registered with the government of Pakistan, working to enable the language communities
of northern
Pakistan
to preserve and develop their mother tongues. Although this organisation is
not involved in relief work, it has set into motion an initiative because the
language communities with whom It works have been severely affected by the floods
and are in a great deal of suffering. So far, the situation in the area where
these language communities live is the worst. Their sources of livelihood: small
terraced fields, vegetable and fruit gardens and livestock have been washed
away by the flood. Single approach roads to the narrow valleys in the mountains
have been completely damaged. One has to travel for days to come out from the
valley to get any food. Many people partnering with FLI in community development
programmes have lost their homes, property and most of their personal belongings,
and at least one multi-lingual education school has been destroyed. FLI wants
to help out the most affected people and would like national and international
organisations, governments, communities, and individuals to support its efforts
in this humanitarian cris
is.
In addition to the death toll, there is a real threat that many more people
waiting for rescue and relief will lose their lives due to lack of food, clean
water, shelter, and medicines. Our government is already facing a number of
crises and cannot cope reaching out to every community. FLI is hoping to reach
out to the people first with survival kits, i.e., tin sheets, basic food, drinking
water, medicines as well as cash as in some cases the above mentioned items
cannot be easily sent from other locations.
You can see more photos and videos of flood devastation in FLI target areas
of Upper Swat Valleys: Kalam and Bahrain, through the following links:
http://www.fli-online.org
http://www.youtube.com/user/flipakistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPdxEU75UYk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2vNTEzkf_g&NR=1
If you are willing to help, or need more information, please contact FLI’s Assistant Director at:
E-mail: fakhruddin@fli-online.org
Phone: +92 (0)51 211 1990 [during working hours:
8:00-15:30]
+92 (0)345 94 20 406 [mobile]
Emergency crisis in communities in Northern Pakistan
© 2004-10 FLI