Humanity & Inclusion’s teams are preparing kits containing emergency supplies and basic necessities to disperse to 600 families displaced by catastrophic floods in Pakistan.
More than 33 million people have been affected by monsoon-related rainfall, wind and flooding, with 6.4 million in urgent need of assistance. The death toll has risen to above 1,400 lives lost and another 12,700 individuals are injured.
More than 1.7 million homes, 22,000 schools and 1,460 health facilities are damaged or completely destroyed. Schooling has been interrupted for more than 3.5 million children.
Preparing emergency kits
Humanity & Inclusion’s teams have completed assessments of more than 2,000 individuals in an effort to identify and prioritize people with the greatest needs. In the affected regions of Nowshera and Charsadda, 600 families displaced by the flooding will soon receive food and basic household goods from the organization.
Food kits will include:
- 88 pounds of wheat flour
- 22 pounds of rice
- 11 pounds of beans and legumes
- 11 pounds of sugar
- 1.5 gallons of vitamin-enriched ghee
- Packs of tea, biscuits and salt
Household supply kits will include a variety of aluminum and steel cookware, dishes, and cutlery for preparing meals; buckets, sponges, and dish soap for cleaning and hygiene; and blankets, pillows and mattresses for sleeping.
The flooding comes at a time where much of the population has already been facing increasing food insecurity. According to the UN, around 73% of affected households currently have insufficient access to food, and over 2 million acres of agricultural land have been damaged. More than 755,000 livestock have been lost in the natural disaster.
“Flooding of this scale is unprecedented in Pakistan and requires an immediate emergency response,” says Caroline Duconseille, Humanity & Inclusion’s country manager for Pakistan. “Our initial focus is meeting the most urgent needs of impacted communities, including access to food and daily essentials such as soap, cooking supplies and warm blankets.”
Humanity & Inclusion is also deploying psychological first aid teams to assess the needs of displaced populations and provide assistance in coordination with national authorities. The organization is exploring possibilities to expand its response to include further districts and services.
HI in Pakistan
Humanity & Inclusion has been present in Pakistan since the early 1980s, implementing humanitarian projects across multiple districts, including an emergency response to flooding in 2010. Today, Humanity & Inclusion has a team of 31 staff members in Pakistan.