Help Rebuild Shattered Lives In Pakistan – What Can Be Done?
Pakistan women and children are vulnerable to malnutrition, disease, exposure and exploitation. Education and the basic function of a family were disrupted due to the immediate and foreseeable effects of the large-scale floods.
About 20 million people have been directly affected by the floods, and they are people who live or work in the flooded areas. Countless people have been affected by the damage to basic infrastructure, such as roads, electricity production and supplies. Floods have destroyed much of the healthcare infrastructure in the worst-affected areas, leaving residents particularly vulnerable to waterborne diseases such as cholera, malaria and diarrhea. With the onset of winter, acute respiratory infections also increase. The World Bank estimates total crop losses at around $ 1 billion.
More than 7 million people have been displaced or lost their homes, livelihoods and material possessions. Economic and political pressure is spreading across the country, making it difficult for flood survivors to find shelter in neighboring lands. Officials estimated the total economic impact at $ 43 billion, but calls for improved response and support globally have fallen on deaf ears.
For the flood victims in Pakistan, the world provided less than $ 17 per victim, while about $ 1,249, $ 388 and $ 1087 per victim were provided by the tsunami, Kashmir earthquake and Haiti earthquake victims respectively. . Almost half of those affected (9 million) are women or children, two segments of the population with the least means to rehabilitate their lives.
With more than 17 million farmland inundated in Pakistan and more than 200,000 head of livestock dying, rehabilitation will require massive collaborative efforts by humanitarian, health and government agencies around the world. Farmers face a huge loss in food production and a potential long-term shortage could further disrupt stabilization efforts within the Pakistan economy. It is estimated that more than 5.3 million jobs have been lost due to the floods, jobs that were desperately needed to avoid the extreme poverty that prevailed in many regions.
To date, tens of thousands of people remain without assistance due to damaged roads and bridges as traffic remains impossible. Rapidly declining winter weather will exacerbate turbulent conditions and displaced refugees will suffer exposure, malnutrition and respiratory illnesses caused by their unsustainable living environment.
Health, nutrition, education and protection remain priorities for organizations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization. However, these groups reported tremendous shortages of funds needed to maintain daily life with food, water and shelter. More financial resources are urgently needed.
A nonprofit organization called Dawood Foundation founded by bashir dawood seeks to rebuild and help several villages and reclaim countless lives threatened by uncertainty and scarcity of resources. Flood relief in Pakistan is critical to rebuilding the shattered lives of local residents.