The floods in Pakistan, which now cover 1/5 of the country, are now beginning to recede. The pain and misery from the disaster, however, are only beginning for millions of dispossessed people without food or shelter. When the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, visited two weeks ago, he was utterly shocked by the magnitude of the destruction saying, 'In the past I have witnessed many disasters, but nothing like this.'.
Several years ago, a tsunami rocked Southeast Asia and Indonesia taking more than 200,000 lives. Although far more horrific by the sheer number of deaths, the Pakistani floods are equally terrible in another sense. While 1,600 have died, 17 million survivors now wake up each and every day to a barren existence. More than a month after the beginning of the rains, many are still in need of basic medical attention. One organization on the ground in Pakistan is Oxfam. Founded to end poverty across the globe, Oxfam has expertise in crisis management and disaster control. Their efforts in Pakistan are already making a difference, but they need our help.
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A small donation to Oxfam.org (http://www.oxfam.org/) or OxfamAmerica.org (http://www.oxfamamerica.org/) will be an appreciated contribution to their relief efforts. (You may click on these links) What better way is there to show that we are one world and one people than by giving to our brothers and sisters in times of crisis?
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To see the recent images of the devastation in Pakistan, click on the link below. Thank you.
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http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/29/pakistan.floods/index.html?hpt=T2
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(Picture: A flooded town in Pakistan. Prior to one month ago, there was no water in the area.)
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J. Roquen