Pakistan Floods Appeal

Over the past week monsoon rains in Pakistan have caused the worst flooding in the last 80 years. So far this has killed an estimated 1400 people and displaced 4 million more. As the flood waters have washed away 80% of the countries food reserves and damaged farmland the humanitarian situation is only going to get worse as shortages of food and clean drinking water help to spread disease.

The worst affected areas are the semi-autonomous tribal regions in the north-west of Pakistan which include the Swat valley. Bordering Afghanistan these mountain regions are believed to be sheltering senior members of the Taliban and Al Qaida including Osama bin Laden. As such this is one of those situations where the best thing I can do is nothing at all. If I get involved it will only inflame an already tense and complicated political situation even further.

However the Disasters Emergency Committee ( http:www.dec.org.uk ) have today launched a fundraising appeal you can donate to here, remembering to say yes to Gift Aid; https://www.donate.bt.com/dec_form_pfa.html

If you live outside of the UK you can donate to the Red Cross/Crescent here; http://donate.ifrc.org/

or UNICEF here;
http://www.supportunicef.org/site/pp.asp?c=9fLEJSOALpE&b=6161181


Sadly though the terrible situation in Pakistan is not even the worst humanitarian crisis going on in the world at the moment. In the Sahel band of Africa which stretches from Senegal on the West of the continent to Sudan on the east drought has caused widespread crop failure and famine. In the worst affected areas of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso current estimates put 10 million people (1.3million children) at serious risk of starving to death. This tragedy couldn't have come at a worse time for the new government of Niger who had already been working hard to overcome the disastrous farming practises of its predecessors. The UN estimates that it requires US$190million to provide basic food aid to those affect. With the current global recession governments across the world are collectively failing to help meet this target.

If you wish to donate money to help the victims of the Sahel famine you can do so here;

International Red Cross/Crescent; http://donate.ifrc.org/ and

UNICEF; http://www.supportunicef.org/site/pp.aspx?c=9fLEJSOALpE&b=258155