Millions of Pakistanis are still struggling to recover from the two colossal floods which hit them in back to back years.  The 2010 and 2011 floods had directly affected more than 8 million people and destroyed more than 1.5 million homes over 37,000 villages in the Sindh Province.

Moving around the Sindh districts of Badin, Mirpurkhas and Thatta together with its local partner, the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), the Mercy Relief team personally distributed 86,500 packs of chicken biryani ready-to-eat meals and locally-procured fresh meat to 17,500 people from the three affected communities to address the critical issue of food shortage there.  Another batch of dry food parcels comprising flour, oil, beans and spices are currently being distributed to 1,500 households.  The total value of the latest food relief was SGD345,000.

Concurrently, Mercy Relief is continuing its reconstruction efforts in Thatta District for the building of 50 homes for the victims of the 2010 floods. The project is due for completion this December, before the height of winter.  In addition, each of the 50 families will be provided with livestock (including goats and chickens), seeds and fertilizers for agriculture to help re-start their post-crisis lives.  The total costs of the reconstruction project is SGD220,000.

In the immediate aftermath of the earlier floods in August 2010, Mercy Relief had partnered Singapore’s Singhealth Group and Pakistan’s South City Hospital to deploy 2 medical missions to Sukkur district over one month.

Commenting from the grounds in Pakistan, Assistant Director of International Programme, Jaffar Mydin shared, “Even during normal times, these villagers can rarely afford meat.  Due to the floods, they have not had anything decent and regular to feed themselves and their families.  Survival needs such as food and shelters are the main concerns here.  Most of them have been staying in makeshift shelters and some have just started to return to their damaged homes two weeks ago with the waters receding.  The distribution of the food supplies clearly lifted their spirits.  As for the reconstruction of homes (with solar-powered lights and latrines with biogas digesters) and the provision of livelihood opportunities, this project seeks to replace the broken track that has derailed the victims’ lives and to empower them in moving forward.”

MR Asst Dir. IP Jaffar Mydin distributing the fresh meat in Samidad Allayan village, Mirpurkhas district, Sindh.

A woman, flanked by her son and little daughter, unpacking the fresh meat in her makeshift tent in Khair Muhammad Laghari village, Mirpurkhas district, Sindh.  Each family received at least 2 kilograms of meat.

Asst. Dir. IP Jaffar Mydin distributing the chicken biryani ready-to-eat meals (MREs) at Abdul Rahman Jat village, Badin district, Sindh.

An elderly man receiving the chicken biryani ready-to-eat meals (MREs) at the Samidad Allayan village, Mirpurkhas district, Sindh.  Each recipient was checked and verified before the distribution.

MR Asst Dir IP Jaffar Mydin (left, in blue cap) inspecting each of the 50 houses under construction at Wazir Ali Jat village in Thatta district, Sindh.

The 50 new houses, with solar-powered lights and latrines with biogas digesters, under construction at Wazir Ali Jat village in Thatta district, Sindh, are due for completion this December, before the height of winter.

About Mercy Relief

Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance.  

In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,  Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.

For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org

Share this article!
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •