Charities deliver vital aid by boat as DEC launches Pakistan Floods Appeal to fund urgent assistance

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched an urgent appeal to raise funds to help some of 6 million people in desperate need of assistance as devastating floods hit Pakistan. 

The scale of the disaster is staggering. 33 million people – one in seven Pakistanis – are estimated to be affected. One third of the country is estimated to be underwater, an area equivalent to the size of the UK. 

More than a million homes have been destroyed or badly damaged, leaving many people homeless, exposed to the elements and without clean water or sanitation. There is a high risk of water-borne diseases spreading, with cholera already detected. 

Food stocks and supplies have been swept away, with 2 million acres of crops affected and over three quarters of a million livestock lost, leaving people in need of food support in the immediate and longer term. 

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed opened the press conference by announcing that the UK Government would match donations to the appeal up to £5 million. He said: "The scenes we are witnessing today in Pakistan are truly shocking. By working together with our member charities, and their local partners on the ground, and the DEC’s national media and corporate partners, we hope to reach millions across Pakistan who are in urgent need of immediate help to survive.” 

Jennifer Ankrom-Khan, Country Director for Action Against Hunger Pakistan, speaking from Islamabad, said that the situation was even worse than the figures being shared. “The figures are shocking, and having been here in 2010 there are a lot of comparisons for us, but this situation is actually worse. The figures don’t represent the reality. Since our initial assessments there have been two more rounds of heavy rains. It’s far worse than the figures we’re seeing right now and the rivers are still flowing.” 

She added: “There are miles and miles of submerged land and people on the few banks which are still above the water.” 

Waseem Ahmad, CEO of Islamic Relief Worldwide, has been delivering aid in affected areas and was involved in the response to the floods in 2010. He said: “In my 22 years of experience as a humanitarian aid worker I have never seen anything like this.” 

“Access is a big issue, there is not even the dry land to airlift people. I was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) in an area where there was seven feet of water and we couldn’t see the houses or electricity pylons. People were stranded on the rooftop waiting for the water to go away – they didn’t want to leave their belongings. After two days we were able to deliver aid to them. I also saw people in these areas using local materials; rubbers and tyres to build boats.” 

The DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities at times of crisis overseas. Eleven of these are responding in Pakistan either directly or through local partners. DEC charities responding include British Red Cross, International Rescue Committee and Save the Children. 

Humanitarian appeal films to raise funds to support this work will be broadcast on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky as well as BBC and commercial radio. 

Every pound donated by the UK public will be matched by the UK government through its UK Aid Match scheme up to the value of £5 million. This support will double the impact of the public’s own donations and will ensure that charities working on the ground in Pakistan can reach those in urgent need of help. 

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “The UK stands with the people of Pakistan, as they face this devastating humanitarian disaster, with one third of the country – an area roughly the size of the UK – now underwater.  

“Through the DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal, we will match, pound for pound, up to £5 million of donations from the Great British public, ensuring vital support reaches those who desperately need our help.” 

Ajeeba Alsam of HelpAge Pakistan local partner of Age International, speaking from Gilgit said: This is something which we have never seen before, the scale is so huge.” 

“Just a few weeks ago this country had heatwaves, and now these devastating floods and in a few weeks from now we are expecting winter to start, especially in the mountain areas, and it's going to have a huge impact on the health and lives of older people.” 

Aid agencies are also very concerned about people’s need for food, both immediately and in the longer term. 

Mr Ahmad said that in some areas 50% of people had lost their crops. “Another concern is about food security, I think it’s a real issue now,” he said. “People are talking about how they will survive in the coming months." 

Maryam Imtiaz of CARE Pakistan said: “In Quetta I met a woman who told me she is not able to nurse her baby as she doesn’t have enough food herself. She said she feared for the survival of her newborn and there are thousands more women like her.” 

Ms Ankrom-Khan said: “Communities are the ones that are the first responders and we are trying to equip them with the things that help them to respond. Communities have been helping themselves to get out of areas, now it’s our turn, we need to come in to help them.” 

Stay up to date with developments in Pakistan, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts with the DEC on Twitter or on Facebook.  

ENDS     

Notes to editors:    

Media enquiries please call 020 7387 0200 or 07734 653616 (out of hours).    

Interview requests: Panellists will be available for individual interviews. For more information please contact: pressofficemanager@dec.org.uk   

A recording of the press conference is available here. 

A collection of recent images and footage is available here. 

About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.       

Eleven of the DEC’s 15 member charities are confirmed to be responding either directly or through trusted local partners and will receive funds from this appeal, with others currently assessing the situation. The 11 members responding so far are Action Against Hunger, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK and Tearfund. 

The UK government will match, pound for pound, the first £5 million of public donations to the DEC Pakistan Appeal through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s UK Aid Match scheme. This is part of a £16.5m package of support to provide immediate help to people living in the most hard hit areas. 

Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. UK government match funding will double British public’s own donations to the DEC appeal up to £5 million and will ensure that DEC member charities working on the ground can reach even more people in need. 

UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently to support people affected by the conflict in Ukraine and to provide life-saving humanitarian aid to people in desperate need in Afghanistan.  

Through UK Aid Match, FCDO gives the British public the opportunity to decide how the UK aid budget is spent and support people in desperate need by matching their donations pound-for-pound. 

Any queries about UK Aid Match should be directed to the FCDO news desk on 020 7008 3100 or newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk. 

How to donate:        

• Online: dec.org.uk   
• Phone: 0330 678 1000. Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply  
• SMS: To donate £10 text SUPPORT to 70000. Texts cost £10 plus the standard network charge and the whole £10 goes to the DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal. You must be 16 or over and please ask the bill payer's permission. For full terms and conditions and more information go to www.dec.org.uk.  
• Or donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office or send a cheque by post to DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.