Letter to the editor
Millions of lives devastated in Pakistan: we must act
Dear Editor,
Fourteen million Pakistanis have been affected by this summer’s historic rains and ensuing floods. That's more than the number of people affected by the 2004 tsunami and the recent earthquake in Haiti, combined. More than six million people have been forced to flee their homes. Of these, it is estimated that one-quarter have had their homes destroyed behind them.
These numbers will likely keep growing.
The immediate needs are urgent: the risk of waterborne diseases is huge and potentially catastrophic, threatening to claim many more victims than the flooding itself.
In the face of enormous logistical challenges, humanitarian aid is being mobilized across the region—by plane, boats, and even on the back of donkeys—to help flood survivors cope in these terrible conditions.
But to date, the response from the international community and the people of developed countries has been one of disconcerting indifference. It is almost as if Pakistan is too distant, too remote, perhaps too different, to move us to open our hearts and wallets and extend the generous support so often offered first by Canadians.
The four members of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION—CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec and Save the Children Canada —have joined forces to forge a united Canadian response to this disaster. Our field offices are working together with long-standing partners—local organizations in Pakistan we know well and have every reason to trust—to distribute emergency kits, food, medical care and clean water while helping evacuate survivors.
Canadians proved to be generous during the Haiti crisis. We raised more than $520 million to help survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. We know more Canadians can set an example and help save lives around the world.
As Pakistan faces a crisis of unprecedented magnitude, we implore you to consider the plight of flood victims.
Visit www.together.ca to learn more.
Yours sincerely,
Nicolas Moyer
Coordinator,
Humanitarian Coalition
