Pakistan: Help us, help them
Source:
Shirkat Gah The survivors of the devastating October 8, 2005 earthquake in Pakistan are getting more endangered by the day.
“We thought the tsunami was the worst we could get. This is worse,” said Jan Egeland, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. Some 60,000 are confirmed dead, a million severely affected and 3.3 million rendered homeless. These figures are expected to rise.
Families no longer exist. There are nursing infants without mothers, grandparents without children or grandchildren. Unicef fears at least 120,000 children are without access to aid in cut-off villages and some 10,000 children may die of hunger, hypothermia and disease if no relief reaches them soon. “The race against time is growing shorter and shorter as the weather closes in…” says Kevin Kennedy, Director for Coordination and Response for the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Pakistani human rights organisations in the Joint Action Committee for Citizens’ Rights (JAC) have banded together for relief work. These organisations have long worked with local communities in the region of the earthquake and are thus able to access remote villages through social networks that are not available to the military and large donor organisations. Groups include Sungi, which has previous experience with relief work and has 150 field offices in the earthquake affected areas. Aurat Foundation and Labour Party also have several years of experience/networks in the fields.
In our collective effort to help the needy, we sent truck loads of packaged food, bedding, medical supplies and clothes for their immediate relief. Over two weeks after the devastation, this supply continues. However, currently we are focusing on providing shelter to the victims, 103 houses in Piniola district, Rawalakot, and 12 in Thandiani.
Your contributions can be made to Shirkat Gah - Women’s Resource Centre which has thirty years of experience in rights-oriented work with women and has outreach programmes across Pakistan. Instructions for transferring funds to Shirkat Gah are:
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK,
1 EVERTRUST PLAZA, SUITE 1101, 11TH FLOOR, JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY 07302, USA
SWIFT CODE: SCBLUS33, ABA CHIPS UID 057048
WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR ONWARD TELEX / SWIFT REMITTANCES TO:
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK, KARACHI, PAKISTAN
ACCOUNT NO. 3582-050996-001 SWIFT CODE: SCBLPKKX
For further credit to:
SHIRKAT GAH,
US$ ACCOUNT NO. 05-5307597-79
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK, NEW GARDEN TOWN, LAHORE, PAKISTAN
A bank transfer is best, rather than sending bank drafts and international cheques which take too long to clear. It would also be better for one person or group to collect money from friends or family to send in one go, rather send small individual transfers since the bank deducts too much money per transaction.
For further information you can contact us at: gulnar@sgah.org.pk or jacsecretariate@yahoo.com
Thank you for your concern and help.
Yours sincerely,
Farida Shaheed
Coordinator, Shirkat Gah – Women’s Resource Centre
Pakistani human rights organisations in the Joint Action Committee for Citizens’ Rights (JAC) have banded together for relief work. These organisations have long worked with local communities in the region of the earthquake and are thus able to access remote villages through social networks that are not available to the military and large donor organisations. Groups include Sungi, which has previous experience with relief work and has 150 field offices in the earthquake affected areas. Aurat Foundation and Labour Party also have several years of experience/networks in the fields.
In our collective effort to help the needy, we sent truck loads of packaged food, bedding, medical supplies and clothes for their immediate relief. Over two weeks after the devastation, this supply continues. However, currently we are focusing on providing shelter to the victims, 103 houses in Piniola district, Rawalakot, and 12 in Thandiani.
Your contributions can be made to Shirkat Gah - Women’s Resource Centre which has thirty years of experience in rights-oriented work with women and has outreach programmes across Pakistan. Instructions for transferring funds to Shirkat Gah are:
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK,
1 EVERTRUST PLAZA, SUITE 1101, 11TH FLOOR, JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY 07302, USA
SWIFT CODE: SCBLUS33, ABA CHIPS UID 057048
WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR ONWARD TELEX / SWIFT REMITTANCES TO:
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK, KARACHI, PAKISTAN
ACCOUNT NO. 3582-050996-001 SWIFT CODE: SCBLPKKX
For further credit to:
SHIRKAT GAH,
US$ ACCOUNT NO. 05-5307597-79
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK, NEW GARDEN TOWN, LAHORE, PAKISTAN
A bank transfer is best, rather than sending bank drafts and international cheques which take too long to clear. It would also be better for one person or group to collect money from friends or family to send in one go, rather send small individual transfers since the bank deducts too much money per transaction.
For further information you can contact us at: gulnar@sgah.org.pk or jacsecretariate@yahoo.com
Thank you for your concern and help.
Yours sincerely,
Farida Shaheed
Coordinator, Shirkat Gah – Women’s Resource Centre
