How to Help People Devastated by Flooding in Pakistan

An extreme monsoon season is affecting communities throughout Pakistan, with multiple weeks of heavy rainfall causing widespread flooding and landslides. So far, about one-third of the country is underwater, and more than 33 million people have been affected. More than 1,300 people have died, more than 12,700 have been injured, almost 640,000 have been displaced and a staggering 1.7 million homes have been damaged or destroyed in what local officials are calling a “climate catastrophe.”

Thousands of miles of roads and railroad tracks are submerged, hundreds of bridges have been damaged and more than 1,460 healthcare facilities have been damaged or destroyed, limiting access to health services. And with water, sanitation and hygiene systems compromised by the floods, the risk of disease transmission is growing by the day.

The government also is warning of a looming food crisis, as the impact of the flooding on Pakistan’s agricultural sector has been catastrophic: about 3.6 million acres of crops have been impacted and some 750,000 livestock have been killed by the floods, while global prices for grain and other staples remain high due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

With a history of providing assistance in Pakistan that dates back to 1985, International Medical Corps has been working closely with departments of health in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces to respond with lifesaving medical services and supplies for people in flood-affected areas. Their teams are treating trauma and infections caused by the flooding, working to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and malaria, and providing water-purification tablets to thousands of people. They are also providing mental health services to help people deal with the loss of loved ones, livestock, livelihoods and property, and have deployed mobile medical teams (MMTs) to reach people cut off by the flooding with medical services and supplies.

Going forward, International Medical Corps will continue to distribute essential medicines, medical equipment and supplies—including rapid diagnostic kits, hygiene kits and water purification kits—to health facilities throughout the provinces where it works. It also will provide emergency and primary health services through MMTs (including basic maternal and child care, and mental health services); educate people about health and hygiene, to help stop the spread of waterborne and other infectious diseases and prevent skin and eye infections; and truck potable water for drinking, cooking and hygiene to flood-affected communities with limited or no access to clean water.

You can help. A gift of any amount to International Medical Corps will help it ensure that women, children and men in flood-affected areas of Pakistan have access to the health and mental health services, and clean water, that they deserve. Start a fundraiser for International Medical Corps using Streamlabs Charity, today!

• A $40 donation provides a clean-delivery kit to a pregnant woman in her third trimester (needed if she can't reach a health facility for delivery)

• A $50 donation provides a hygiene kit to a flood-affected family

• A $75 donation provides long-lasting insecticide nets for a flood-affected family, helping to prevent malaria

About International Medical Corps

International Medical Corps is a global first responder that delivers emergency medical and related services to those affected by conflict, disaster and disease, no matter where they are, no matter the conditions. It also trains people in their communities, providing them with the skills they need to recover, chart their own path to self-reliance and become effective first responders themselves. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, it is a nonprofit with no religious or political affiliation, and now has roughly 7,500 staff members around the world, 97% of whom are locally hired. Since its founding, the organization has operated in more than 80 countries, and has provided more than $3.9 billion in emergency relief and training to communities worldwide.

Helpful Links:

• Learn more about International Medical Corps
• Start fundraising for International Medical Corps using Streamlabs Charity
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