Generosity of spirit is once again displayed by the Daily Kos community as so many open their eyes, hearts, and pocketbooks for flood-ravaged Pakistan.
But we can't take our eyes off of what many are calling the largest global catastrophe to date. More than 2,000 Pakistanis have lost their lives and an additional 6 million people require immediate assistance due to the threat of mass disease and starvation.
One-fifth of the nation of Pakistan is under water.
Says Zamir Akram, Pakistan's Representative to the United Nations: "It is a catastrophe on a scale which is unparalleled as far as we can tell. Millions of people have been affected and the area covered is immense. It is about the size of England."
UN agencies say the number of people suffering and displaced and livelihoods destroyed could exceed 20 million. This is more than the combined total of those affected by the 2003 Kashmir earthquake (3 million), the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (5 million), and the 2010 Haitian earthquake (3 million).
Hundreds of thousands of Pakistani people affected by the flood have yet to receive aid. In fact, relief operations have been grossly underfunded. The United States has pledged $150 million and 12 helicopters. But this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the $100 billion and 200 helicopters we currently spend on military activity in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Despite being the largest donation thus far, the $150 million U.S. donation is far less than money pledged by many other countries in terms of funds per capita of population.
Despite a barrage of flagrantly Islamophobic rhetoric used by U.S. media and politicians in recent years to connect all people of Middle Eastern descent to terrorism, Pakistani flood victims have no concept of terrorism. In fact, the word "terrorism" does not even exist in Seraiki and Sindhi, the languages spoken by a vast majority of both the 2,000 people who have been killed thus far and the 20 million people displaced by the flood waters.
The 20 million people displaced by the flood are the women, children, and farmers of Pakistan. More than 85% are women and children.
It is feared that Pakistani women and the 3.5 million children displaced by the disaster, many of whom are suffering from heat, hunger, exhaustion, and dehydration, are at the greatest risk because women and the children they care for tend to suffer the most both in the immediate disaster and in the aftermath.
A second wave of deaths from water-borne disease, skin infections, malaria, and a lack of medicine and medical supplies is expected as more than 200 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed by flood waters.
To me, the face of a Pakistani child is the face of this devastating flood. I have no doubt that children of the United States want our leaders and other adults to find the humanity needed to assist millions of innocent Pakistani children. I'll close by sharing a few "Why I Like School" essays written by six year old First Graders. One is authored by Narjis Tahir, a creative writing contest winner and Pakistani First Grader, and the others by my new First Grade students.
First, I get ready to go to school. I like to brush my teeth. I get on the Bear Bus. Then I go to First Grade.
I go to the playground when I get to school. I like to play soccer. I am the best one at soccer. The big kids play soccer with me at lunch recess. I practice a lot at home with my Dad and my brother. We practice running and kicking.
Reading is fun. We practice our letters and sounds with Baby Echo. Then we tap words.
I also like Art and Friday Fun Day. Friday Fun Day is fun all day!
I like to go to school because it is fun...so much fun.
I am in 1st grade. My school starts at 8:15 AM. I get up at 7:30 in the morning; I get ready and hop in the car. At 8:10 AM my daddy drops me off at school. I go to the gym and sit there until my teacher is there. We stand up and go to our class to start another wonderful day!
I enjoy going to school because I learn lots of new things at school every day...like math, science, phonics, social science, reading, art and music. There is also gym and library. I love to go to my school library. There we can borrow one book for one week. Sometimes we get bookmarks from library.
Ever day I have recess. I go outside and play in the playground on swings, slides and monkey bars. I also play tag with my friends. But sometimes if it is rainy or too cold we have inside recess. Recess is one of my favorite activities. Every day we have star student in my class. I love to be star student. When I am star student I help the teacher to do the calendar, pass the papers and the best thing I'm the line leader.
I also enjoy school so much because there is carnival, field day, field trips and game day. We have assemblies in our school; I also won in two assemblies.
I enjoy my school because I have good friends and nice teachers there. I want to be a teacher when I grow up. Then I will be going to school again with different reasons to enjoy going to school.
I don't like getting up early. My Mom uses a horn to get me up. When I get to school, I have fun. I have the most fun on the playground during recess. My favorite things to do on the playground are swinging and talking to my friends.
I am really good at math. I like numbers and solving problems.
I am star student this week. I get to do special things all week like be line leader and bring my favorite book and stuffed animal to share with the class. I will also tell the class about my family, my pets, what foods I like to eat and what I like to do when I get home from school. I colored a picture of my family for star student.
One of my favorite activities is going to the library. I like to check out books about dinosaurs.
Thank you for reading. Flood relief information is provided below, courtesy of many dedicated Kossacks who are working around the clock for the Pakistani flood victims. Please help, if you can.
*****
Shelterbox:
DONATE
Doctors without Borders (MSF):
DONATE
The Red Cross:
DONATE
OXFAM:
DONATE
UNICEF:
DONATE
Toll free: 1-800-FOR-KIDS (1-800-367-5437)
"Text FLOODS to 864233 (UNICEF) to donate $10"
Greg (Three Cups of Tea, Stones Into Schools) Mortenson's non-profit (CAI) recommends supporting a local (Pakistani) group to which donations will likely have a large, immediate, and lasting impact.
Human Development Foundation
http://www.hdf.com
(800) 705 1310
DONATE
From the US State dept.
How You Can Help:
Text "FLOOD" to 27722. Your $10 will go to the State Department Fund for Pakistan Relief that Secretary Clinton announced August 19, and is part of a new effort to bring attention to the need for aid.
Text "SWAT" to 50555 ; $10 goes to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees fund for flood victims
Previously recommended relief diaries about the floods in Pakistan (with the Help Pakistan tag):
Aug 22: Aid Pakistan With Money or Action
Aug 22: Why?
Aug 21: ... and a river runs through it: Pakistan's WaterWars
Aug 21: Help-Pakistan!: Devastation
Aug 20: Pakistan Floods - reporting/working from the inside
Aug 20: Pakistan Relief: Just watch the video
Aug 19: A slow moving Tsunami ....
Aug 19: Anti-Muslim Bigotry: Not just for wingnuts anymore
Aug 18: Pakistan Floods... Please Help
Aug 18: Chaos is the new Normal {Earthship Wednesday}
Aug 18: EcoAdvocates: A green model in the Gulf
Aug 17: Please Help Pakistan... Please ... Update: New Flood Warnings
Aug 16: pakistan III: the human face of climate change: ecojustice
Aug 16: Pakistan still needs help; lots of it. Floods displace 20+ Million
Aug 14: Pakistan: 6 Million Without Water (How to Help)
Aug 9: Media ignores "Worst Humanitarian Disaster In Recent History"
Jul 31: Pakistan needs help. Floods kill 800+, displace 1 Million
We are looking at what may be the worst humanitarian crisis the world has seen in a century.
Some of us at Daily Kos use a Google group to help organize for the crisis in Pakistan. Anyone who would like to get involved or get alerts when a new HELP PAKISTAN diary is posted, please join
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