AKU-IED presses Sindh’s teachers to teach students about floods

HYDERABAD: With the floods having struck Sindh consecutively for two years, it might be a good idea to teach students about floods and its causes, protective measures, relief and rehabilitation in schools.

The Aga Khan University Institute for Education Development (AKU-IED) organised an event called Save Pakistan from Floods, to encourage the science teachers of Sindh to teach their students about floods. Professional Teachers Association Network (PTAN) and Science Association of Pakistan (SAP) also collaborated with AKU-IED.

via AKU-IED presses Sindh’s teachers to teach students about floods – The Express Tribune.

For flood-hit women, answering call of nature is a question | Pakistan Today

KARACHI – In the absence of sanitation facilities, Taijee Jogi and her two dozen female relatives have to wait till night to go to the sporadic bush patches near their colony for urination and defecation.

Until three months back, they could do this whenever they wanted. But after the recent monsoon rains inundated their almost entire area, they are left with no choice but to wait until it is dark so that everybody in the colony is asleep and there are no passers-by. “What else can we do?

–snip— Consultant gastroenterologist of the Department of Medicine the at Aga Khan University, Prof Dr Hasnain Ali Shah said by doing this, a person can suffer from severe constipation and there would be lot of pressure on kidneys too. According to the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the recent torrential monsoon rains in southern Sindh have triggered serious flooding, affecting over five million people. Among them are communities, which are still recovering from last year’s extraordinary floods.

via http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk.

Aga Khan University: Treating over 1m flood-hit patients and still going strong… | Pakistan Today

AKU gives details about its efforts to help the flood-affected population after last year’s floods and rain disaster this year

KARACHI – The Aga Khan University (AKU) has calculated that its teams have treated over one million patients in the flood-hit areas of Sindh and Balochistan since the disaster struck these areas in 2010. In a press released issued on Wednesday, AKU said that it responded to the national disaster by dispatching medical teams as soon as possible to Khairpur and Sukkur in Sindh, followed by Jaffarabad in Balochistan.

via http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/09/treating-over-1m-flood-hit-patients.
Related: http://tribune.com.pk/story/257360/helping-hands-america-and-aga-khan-working-for-flood-relief-again/

Aid pours in from Japan, US for Sindh flood survivors | Pakistan Today

ISLAMABAD – In response to the Government of Pakistan’s disaster declaration on September 9, the United States has immediately begun providing a broad range of assistance to Sindh communities affected by this year’s floods including food supplies for more than 50,000 families.

“Assistance provided by the US will help thousands of flood-affected families over the next few weeks,” said Andrew Sisson, director of the US Agency for International Development Mission, according to a US embassy’s statement issued on Tuesday. “This support is part of the broader US Government commitment to assisting the people of Pakistan by supporting long-term development in times of immediate crisis,” it said.

It will be delivered by local and international organizations specialising in relief work. Already, USAID-funded food packages have reached 23,000 families in seven districts of Sindh (Badin, Mirpurkas, Tando Muhammed Khan, Tando Allah Ya, Tharparker, Umarkot, and Hyderabad). This assistance was delivered by the International Organisation for Migration. USAID also paid for nearly 60 trucks to deliver relief to affected areas and 1,000 plastic tarpaulins for shelter and is financing other efforts to coordinate relief activities.

In the coming days, US-funded relief supplies, including shelter materials, drinking water, sanitation and hygiene provisions will be provided through the Rural Support Programs Network, a non-governmental organization. The US is also contributing funding for 26,000 food packages to be distributed by the World Food Program. The US has also provided funding to the Aga Khan University’s mobile health unit, which is providing health care to affected communities in to Badin District.

via Aid pours in from Japan, US for Sindh flood survivors | Pakistan Today | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia.

Through the camera lens: Life after the floods in Pakistan (Part 1)

Faridoun Hemani/TheIsmaili.org – I looked out from the cockpit of the ATR-42 twin turboprop as we cruised to the point where the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalaya mountain ranges meet. The sight was breathtaking — white snow blanketing the highest peaks, a clear blue sky and the hot sun watching over.

Captain Aurangzeb challenged us to find the runway of Gilgit Airport, as he piloted the plane towards the foot of a mountain. When we couldn’t, he joked that the mountain would open up to reveal it.

He was almost right. You have to fly straight towards the mountain and bank sharply to the left to land. I would not want to be a pilot flying this route in bad weather.

More: The Ismaili: Through the camera lens: Life after the floods (Part 1).
Photographs: http://www.theismaili.org/cms/1250/Gallery-Life-after-the-floods

“We want our school back!” Attabad Students | Dawn.com

On a recent trip to the Hunza Valley, this scribe came across an interesting protest by young students in Ahmedabad town. With placards in their hands, scores of school children were chanting slogans as they passed through the streets of main Ahmedabad Bazaar. They were demanding the local authorities to shift the Attabad IDPs from their school. We want our school back, the youngsters maintained.

Formed after a massive landslide in January 2010, the Attabad Lake in Hunza Valley continues to cause hardship to the locals, particularly the displaced families.

Unperturbed by the presence of keenly watching tourists in the serene and peaceful Hunza Valley, the children registered their protest in front of the Ismaili Community Office and later lodged a formal complaint at the District Coordination Office, Hunza.

“We are studying in a tent school for well over a year now. The local authorities have yet to shift the Attabad Lake affectees from the premises,” said Ambreen. A student of class 7 at the Diamond Jubilee School in Altit, she informed that other schools in the area faced a similar situation.

“Most schools in Altit are being used as shelter. But we students end up suffering too. We have to drink muddy water and study in tents that are really dirty,” she complained innocently.

“Many youngsters don’t want to go to the tent school as the teachers are not there. Then there is the sunlight and heat. Its makes us ill and at times many children have suffered a heat stroke,” she added.

via “We want our school back!” | | DAWN.COM.
All related: http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/tag/floods/
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/tag/attabad/

In Sindhi: Interview with Dr Farrukh Bhambro of Aga Khan Foundation

Dr Farrukh Bhambro, a medical officer for flood relief and nutrition project of Agha Khan Foundation. He says that malnutrition in pregnant women will result in weak children, the AKF program addresses this issue by providing nourishment plans to children up to the age of five. He says that if the mother is not lactating, the child can be given supplemental milk feed from animals. AKF community health workers and LHW’s call regularly to monitor progress.

http://hip.org.pk/programs/project2?view=stories&layout=story&id=2621

Karim Gillani – Ali Ki Shan – Superstars “for Flood Relief”

http://youtu.be/Yrmal6O0cEk

Abida Parveen & Taufiq Karmali- Yaa Ali Mushkil Kushaa – Superstars “for Flood Relief”

http://youtu.be/H0jDgD3BEUw

The Ismaili: Compassion and volunteerism save Pakistan’s most vulnerable

Compiled by: Noor Muhammad

They call it the Lion River because on a dark night the noises it makes while passing through narrow gorges can easily be mistaken for the roars of an enraged lion. Originating as a small glacial spring in the Tibetan mountain, the Indus River passes through the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and gradually culminates in an enormous water body, fed by hundreds of powerful torrents.

Some people praise the regions surrounding the Indus River as a cradle of civilisations and a benefactor of the world’s oldest human settlements. However, the millions of people recently displaced by the lethal waves of the flooded Indus might feel otherwise.

via The Ismaili: Compassion and volunteerism save Pakistan’s most vulnerable

All related

Asian culture and community events in the Dallas area: Aga Khan Foundation gets grant

The Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. received a grant of $5.2 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development in support of its efforts to help Pakistani flood victims. To secure the funding, the national foundation has to contribute $1 million. Dallas did its part in helping raise funds for this project. The 11th annual Partnership Walk in October raised a record $850,000, and other local fundraisers brought the total to about $1 million. Part of that amount, along with money from other U.S. PartnershipsInAction fundraisers, went toward the $1 million contribution.

The foundation already has teams in Pakistan serving thousands in government and U.N. health camps. Food distribution is also under way, and grant funds will be used to replenish diminishing stocks. Visit www.akdn.org/usa

via http://www.dallasnews.com

‘A magic thread which links the youth of the world together’ – ISMAILI CLIFTON GIRL GUIDES

By Nasihah Nazish

Who says that guides is all about selling cookies? By empowering a younger generation of women, creating a musical opportunity, reaching out across continents, helping flood victims and first and foremost helping every senior citizen of the community, we are proud to say that this international movement; the girl guide movement this year turns 98.

The girl guide movement is a part of the world association for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)-the largest voluntary movement dedicated to girls and young women in the world.

By giving a voice to the underrepresented and reaching out to those in need, the Clifton Girl Guides, after being an uphold for the earthquake victims of 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, Girl Guides this year took part in collecting donations and packing up boxes which were then taken to the flood victims camp by the CLIFTON SCOUTS GROUP. Being a part of the Girl Guides has given me a deep belief that no matter how big a problem, it can be solved, with partnerships, perseverance and a big smile, anything can be done.

Nasihah Nazish has been a part of Girl Guides since she was 7 years old. She joined junior guides when she was 7 years old and now she is a patrol leader. Over these years she has achieved the Best Guide Award and then the Best Patrol Leader Award. She is studying at the Convent of Jesus and Mary school Karachi and is in grade 9.

Earlier related: Karachi Pakistan: Ismaili Clifton Scouts Group’s Flood Relief Campaign

Karachi Pakistan: Ismaili Clifton Scouts Group’s Flood Relief Campaign

In the midst of highly time-taking O and A Level examinations, the CLIFTON SCOUTS GROUP KARACHI (CSG) with the help of authorities, organized a flood relief campaign for the victims of recent floods that have displaced millions in Pakistan. Though the campaign was restricted to only three days due to security concerns, CSG collected over 100,000 rupees, along with numerous supplies, ranging from clothes to food items such as wheat, pulses, water supplies and edible oil. The institution put day and night together, and collected enough donations to last for all 900+ victims from Sujawal and Thatta. Such fervor and zeal not only reached out to the hearts of the victims affected, but to the Ismaili community on the whole, showing that we stand united in all troubles. It is such voluntary service that makes us proud Ismailis, and satisfies our quench to give to the community. To see 15 year old children carrying heavy bags of rice and pulses on their backs was truly touching. The CSG deserves utmost praise and prayers from the jamat for their voluntary service.

Saad Hirani

The writer, Saad Hirani, is a hard working student, and a 16 year old scout from Karachi, who has spent 11 years of his life associated with the CSG. Like all other scouts, he possesses the zeal to serve his community. He is also the winner of the ‘Speech Competition’ held between all scouts in Karachi. His passion for scouting also helped him win the Group Scout Leader’s Award 2009, and he also held best patrol at the annual scouts camp 2010. He is a student at Karachi Grammar School, finishing his O Levels. He has served almost 1500 hours of community service in terms of scouting over the past 6 years.

The Ismaili: “Superstars” near and far work to help the people of Pakistan in the wake of flooding

According to the United Nations, the flooding in Pakistan is the greatest humanitarian crisis in recent history, affecting more people than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the recent earthquakes in Kashmir and Haiti combined.

Over 1 600 people are reported to have died and 20 million people are believed to have been affected by the floods. The aftermath presents a serious risk to survivors from potentially deadly diseases like cholera, which can spread as a result of contaminated surface and drinking water.

Despite the magnitude of the disaster and the scale of its impact, many in the international community remain unaware, and the attention garnered early on has waned. Through individual and organised institutional efforts, many Ismailis, together with others in Pakistan and around the world, have sought to raise awareness and funds to support flood relief efforts.

via The Ismaili: “Superstars” near and far work to help the people of Pakistan in the wake of flooding.

Earlier related at Ismailimail: Shanifa Nasser – Hussein Janmohamed – All related

Opinion: Mosharraf Zaidi » Demystifying foreign aid

-Excerpt- Another vital distinction in the aid world is the difference between bilateral and multilateral donors. Bilateral donors are almost exclusively sovereign governments that have international development assistance programmes, ministries or departments. This of course does not strictly adhere to the literal meaning of bilateral – and large foundations, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or the Aga Khan Foundation, often have programmes that are larger in total size than the aid programmes of whole countries. Small, developing countries must therefore treat such foundations as “bilateral”.

via Mosharraf Zaidi » Demystifying foreign aid.

Abida Parveen & Taufiq Karmali – Super Star For Flood Relief

The legendary Abida Parveen & Taufiq Karmali are Superstars “for Flood Relief” as they release “Akhadiyu (n) Roj Ruwan Nit Nain Bhare” to support the Pakistan Flood Relief efforts of Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) — an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). This is the first in a series of four releases “for Flood Relief” from the duo, over the coming weeks.

Visit www.superstarsforfloodrelief.com for more details.

http://www.youtube.com/user/superstars4ff
http://www.facebook.com/SuperStarsForFloodRelief?ref=ts
http://twitter.com/#!/SuperstarFloodR

Wildrose Global Poverty Fundraising Dinner and Music night with Karim Gillani

Wild Rose Global Poverty Funds have organized a Dinner and music night on Nov 20th 2010 featuring performance by Karim Sangeet (Karim Gillani)

Contact Rubina Malik for the tickets. 403-454-7587 or 403-630-1931. Tickets are $40 dollars each. children under 5 are free.

Karim Gillani: http://www.youtube.com/user/karimsangeet
http://www.karimsangeet.com/

Wildrose Global Poverty Funds Society is a Charitable Organization registered in Calgary, Alberta Canada. The Objective of the Society are to relieve poverty and benefit Communities in need in the Country of Pakistan by offering assistance to the poor, regardless of religion, race, or ethnicity.

http://www.wildroseglobalpovertyfunds.com/

Shaista, The victim of Attabad Disaster

Asian culture and community events in the Dallas area | Dallas Morning News

Organizers of the 11th Annual Partnership Walk and Multi-Cultural Festival are pleased. They said that event drew about 5,000 guests and raised $850,000, a record amount. All PartnershipsInAction events in Dallas, which included the walk, a golf tournament and a flag football classic, raised about $1 million this year, another record.

via Asian culture and community events in the Dallas area | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News.

The Ismaili: Partnership Walk in the USA launches with green campaign; aids relief efforts in Pakistan

“The risks––and costs––of inaction on climate change grow each year,” warned Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations at the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Toronto earlier this year. “The more we delay, the more we will pay.”

via The Ismaili: Partnership Walk in the USA launches with green campaign; aids relief efforts in Pakistan.

RUMI FEST CANADA 2010 with Coleman Barks

RUMI FEST 2010 – Day 1 will feature performances by: Coleman Barks, Whirling Dervishes with Sufi Music, from the Canadian Sufi Cultural Center, Garo & Friends and a special guest performance on Sitar by Irshad Khan, the sitar maestro. It will also feature an art exhibit by:

THE OPEN EASEL revolving around Rumi’s work.

A Portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the victims of the flooding in Pakistan, where at least 2,000 people have been killed, with more than 20 million people affected.

via RUMI FEST CANADA 2010 with Coleman Barks – presented by Nomans Land Promotions.

After the storm: A dispatch from Pakistan | ONE

This is the fourth in a series of commentaries contributed by the Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts (PACE). PACE is working to ensure that existing safe and effective vaccines for pneumonia—the world’s leading childhood killer—reach all of the children who need them.

Zulfiqar Bhutta is the Founding Chair of the Division of Women & Child Health at Aga Khan University in Pakistan and a member of the Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts (PACE).

Heavy media coverage of the recent MDG Summit in New York has meant that many people who don’t keep close tabs on global health issues are now aware of the realities facing the world’s poorest people. The Summit highlighted the need for many things, including immediate action and a longer-term plan to ensure sustainable access to food, clean water, sanitation, medical care, immunization and housing in the developing world.

From my base in Pakistan, this sums up exactly what we need

More: http://www.one.org/blog.

The Ismaili: Of flood rains and resilience: The struggle to survive in the wake of the Pakistan flood disaster

Compiled by: Noor Muhammad – It was an early August morning, and the sun gleamed over the beautiful village of Khurzgh, in Northern Pakistan. As a helicopter prepared to land, the villagers — including young children and women dressed in colourful clothes — ran towards the helipad. Their numbers swelled to the hundreds as the rotors came to a halt and the doors opened.

via The Ismaili: Of flood rains and resilience: The struggle to survive in the wake of the Pakistan flood disaster.

EU to more than double Pakistan flood aid

The European Union’s executive is to more than double the aid it is sending to Pakistan after its devastating floods, boosting the funding to over 150 million euros (200 million dollars), officials confirmed Friday.

–snip–

In total, EU aid to Pakistan should top 400 million euros this year, she said.

The aid, to be distributed by non-governmental organizations such as the Aga Khan foundation and the Red Crescent, is intended to provide the millions of Pakistanis driven from their homes by flooding with shelter, clean water, and medical supplies, especially in the south.

via http://www.monstersandcritics.com.

Fighting the floods, eight weeks on

Excerpt:

The flooding in Pakistan this July has created a situation that still perplexes the government and the NGOs engaged in helping millions of displaced people.

-snip-

Fayyaz also worries about the looting of relief goods by mobs and their siphoning off to political allies. “That’s where you need to have community networks on the pattern of what we have in Gilgit-Baltistan,” says Fazl Karim, a social worker associated with the Aga Khan Foundation.

Karim says they were able to resolve the problem of distribution on political grounds when the aid agencies coordinated with the Aga Khan Development Network, an umbrella organisation that oversees local support organisations at the union council level.

Karen Brown, an international trustee with ActionAid, says they could improve relief work by developing community networks and creating a board of trustees in Pakistan along the lines seen in India. She acknowledges that with wider networks of private organisations and local NGOs comes the need for ensuring transparency and accountability.

via http://thesamosa.co.uk/index.php/blogs.