Flood-affected families in Badin receive aid for first time

Allah Dino is one of more than two million people affected by this renewed flooding, just one year after the worst floods in Pakistan’s history hit. Fresh flooding has devastated communities in lower Sindh province, displacing more than 70,000 people who have lost their homes in a region that has yet to recover from last year\'s floods.

We lost our belongings and our house to the floods and were all living under a tree to save us from the scorching sunOn Friday, 26 August, World Vision kicked off a series of aid distributions through partners Muslim Aid and Helping Hand, aiming to reach 5,000 flood-affected families in Badin district; the worst-affected district of this year’s renewed flooding. Families received tents, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, mosquito nets, water purifying tablets and other essentials.

“We lost our belongings and our house to the floods and were all living under a tree to save us from the scorching sun,” said Niamat, a 40-year-old mother of six. “You [World Vision] helped us move from the tree into a tent, giving us shelter and other items we needed for the first time.”

Thousands of people have lost their homes and livelihoods, while hundreds of mud houses have been washed away by the heavy monsoon rains and floods. People are now living in government buildings, schools, hospitals, and on the roadside or other high ground under the open sky. Most at risk are children and women who are without food, already in poor health and now living in unhygienic conditions. Around 220,500 people, including more than 85, 000 children, are residing in relief camps across the province.

...the needs are almost overwhelming – and the situation will continue to worsen in the coming weeks, as lack of food and the risk of water-borne diseases grows“Working with partners, World Vision is making every possible effort to get aid to flood-affected families, especially before Eid*, but the needs are almost overwhelming – and the situation will continue to worsen in the coming weeks, as lack of food and the risk of water-borne diseases grows, warns Bernard Borkhosh, World Vision Pakistan’s Operations Director. “We have the experts and the plans to help many thousands, but in-country coordination and funding is crucial to allow us to continue to reach those most in need.”

Last year, in response to the devastating floods that swept the length of Pakistan covering an area the size of the UK, World Vision extended its operations from the north of the country and was one of the first aid agencies to reach many of Sindh’s cut-off communities.

World Vision assisted 1.5 million people affected by last year’s floods, providing food, shelter, healthcare, long-term livelihood assistance, and other interventions to people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Punjab and Sindh provinces.

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*Eid ul-Fitr often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr)