Pakistan's PM tells Plan 'more help needed from friends'

A woman carrying her child and a bird cage walks past the rising flood waters in her village in Sindh Province. Picture: Reuters/Akhtar Soomro, courtesy of www.alertnet.org

THE Pakistan Prime Minister has told Plan International “more help from our international friends” is needed to respond to the flood disaster.

The comments were made to Plan Pakistan’s Country Director Haider Yaqub, who joined Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on a helicopter assessment of the devastated Baluchistan Province.

Mr Gilani called on the international community and local leaders to unite to meet the challenges of the floods that have killed some 1600 people, made 2 million homeless and affected up to 20 million others, many of them children.

After the flight, Mr Yaqub said he was hit by the “enormous gravity of the situation”. He has also been in the flood-affected areas of Layyah, Muzzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Jacobabad and Dera Muraid Jamali.

He said as long as the monsoon rains continued to fall, the situation would continue to deteriorate.

“Until the time the flood waters stop rising, traversing through the country and reach the Arabian sea, and more and more areas come underwater, poor and marginalised people will continue to slip further into trouble, danger and poverty – and among this group, the most vulnerable will be children and women,” he said.

“The magnitude of the devastation is huge and is posing enormous challenges to both local and national administrations. We all need to give as much support as we can.”

Many families are being split up by the floods. Plan currently has child protection and water and sanitation experts on the ground checking the situation in temporary camps and among the thousands of people on the move.

Plan continues to support victims of the flood. Initial relief efforts have included distributing food to 96,350 people. Some 4000 health and hygiene kits have been packed and shipped to Layyah, Rajanpur and Ghotki for distribution, with 9000 more to follow. 75 community size tents have been ordered, with 25 community size tents already delivered to Muzzaffargarh and 39,000 milk tetra packs were sent to Multan for distribution to Layyah and Rajanpur.

The next stage will be to set up community kitchens and child-friendly spaces in Plan-supported camps, as well as providing recreational kits for children.

Working on child protection issues will be a priority – Plan staff are currently registering unaccompanied children and additional child protection in emergencies specialists are arriving in Pakistan.

Plan International Australia’s Disasters Manager Rohan Kent says child protection measures are essential in disaster situations.

“Whenever large numbers of people are displaced by a disaster, the risks to children increase dramatically,” Mr Kent said. “They are at increased risk of abuse, violence and trafficking and their needs are often overlooked.

“As a child-focused agency Plan strives to ensure that the needs of vulnerable children are prioritised, and our response in Pakistan will incorporate this.”

Donations to Plan’s Pakistan floods appeal can be made online via the Children in Crisis Fund or calling 13 75 26.

Read a first-hand account of the impact of the Pakistan floods.

Find out more about Plan’s work in Pakistan

ENDS

INTERVIEWS:

Plan’s Pakistan Country Director Haider Yaqub is available for interview.

Also available for interview are:

Disasters Manager Rohan Kent
Rohan is overseeing Plan International Australia’s response to the Pakistan floods. He worked in north-west Pakistan in 2009 during the civil conflict that displaced millions of people.

Child Protection in Emergencies Specialist Amalia Fawcett
Amalia worked in north-west Pakistan after the massive 2005 earthquake. She can comment on the importance of child protection in the midst of the current emergency, and the unique cultural sensitivities that must be considered.

For interviews or further information, contact:

David Cook
Media Officer
Plan International Australia
Mob: 0448 816 900
Ph: 03 9672 3652
Email: david.cook@plan.org.au

Sharyn Hanly
Communications Manager
Plan International Australia
Mob: 0418 560 810
Ph: 03 9672 3656
Email: Sharyn.hanly@plan.org.au