Pakistan

About the Situation

Decades of political disputes and little foreign investment have strained Pakistan’s economy, contributing to widespread poverty. Despite the government’s strides in reducing poverty levels, the economy’s growth slowed in 2008; the value of the rupee fell and the unemployment level rose.

Pakistan has also been hit hard by numerous earthquakes, droughts and floods in recent years. Reconstruction costs in the aftermath of these natural disasters are placing additional stresses on Pakistan’s fragile economy.

How Islamic Relief is Helping

Islamic Relief^TM has been providing services in Pakistan since 1992, opening an office in Islamabad in 1994. Islamic Relief teams have helped implement vocational training projects, water and sanitation programs, and have administered health care services. Islamic Relief has also been at the forefront of providing emergency relief in times of natural disaster—Islamic Relief is now working to help provide assistance to survivors of recent flooding in the country. The Islamic Relief family of donors also sponsors orphans in the area.

Islamic Relief team members in the region work closely with local organizations and government officials to ensure efficiency and deliver aid where it is needed most.

Here are some current and recently completed programs in Pakistan:

• Community livelihood improvement project
  More than 90,000 people in Bagh AJK will benefit from a program that provides access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities as well as rebuilding of infrastructure and training in vocational skills to help them earn a living. The program also teaches residents about natural resource management, and enhances democratic institutions by increasing opportunities for training and networking with public and private sector institutions.
• Nowshera integrated rehabilitation program
  More than 20,000 people are receiving shelter and other critical services in six villages of Nowshera, KPK. This program provides 1,215 households with disaster-resilient shelters and entire villages with improved access to potable water, sanitation facilities and health care services. Six schools are being rehabilitated and more than 3,000 income-generation opportunities have been created.
• Punjab integrated rehabilitation program
  Families are receiving shelter and additional critical services in six villages in Muzaffargarh, Punjab. Hundreds of households are receiving disaster-resilient shelters; thousands are also receiving improved access to potable water, sanitation facilities and health care services. This program will yield an estimated 800 income-generating opportunities for residents.
• Sindh flood relief operation
  More than 9,000 flood survivors received food packs, kitchen supplies and hygiene kits from Islamic Relief. Water filtration plants were installed and latrines were constructed to help improve sanitation. Relief teams provided emergency health care services to more than 60,000 people affected by the floods.
• One-to-one orphan sponsorships

Here are photos taken from Islamic Relief team members in the field in Pakistan.

HOW YOU CAN HELP