One
year has passed since the devastating earthquake in northern
Pakistan, which claimed over 73,000 lives and left around 3.5
million people homeless.
The disaster was a cruel blow to the communities of the North
West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Pakistan-administered Kashmir,
many of whom now face renewed hardship, following heavy flooding
and landslides this summer.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
and the Pakistan Red Crescent have provided relief assistance,
including food, tents, water, medicines, tarpaulins, shelter
materials and tools, to over 1.1 million people in the NWFP
alone. Meanwhile, nearly half a million people have received
medical assistance from Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
partners across the NWFP and Pakistan-administered Kashmir over
the past year.
A major goal of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is to leave people
in a stronger position than they were before the disaster and
the Movement firmly believes that the challenge, and the opportunity,
at hand is to use the humanitarian resources and skilled personnel
in the country to build the capacities and resilience of communities.
The Pakistan Red Crescent, working with wider Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement partners, has been providing services
such as health support and disaster preparedness to vulnerable
communities for decades. But never before has the International
Federation provided such depth of assistance in Pakistan, with
such a broad reach.
The relief and recovery activities have provided entry points
to communities with whom the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and
other humanitarian organizations, have had little or no contact
in the past, including people in remote valleys, perched on
mountainsides in areas reachable only by foot.
The earthquake wrought dreadful destruction and personal tragedy
on these communities, but it has also opened the door to new
opportunities, such as better health care and improved disaster
preparedness, in areas where there was previously very little
support.
Villages like the small hamlet of Bangia, high in the hills
above the devastated town of Balakot, are now receiving weekly
visits from Red Cross and Red Crescent mobile health teams.
For the first time, they have regular access to primary medical
care, hygiene education, immunizations and ante and post-natal
care. Previously, they had to walk for several hours to reach
the local basic health unit, resulting in infrequent visits.
Doctors and nurses are now coming to them, improving the health
of men, women and children in rural areas.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent recovery plan will not only provide
such health care, but also reconstruction, livelihoods, and
capacity building assistance for around a million survivors
between now and the end of 2008. The government of Pakistan
has the lead role in assisting with the reconstruction of houses,
so the Red Cross and Red Crescent reconstruction efforts are
directed at rebuilding health and education facilities and vocational
centres.
Last winter, the massive relief effort by the Red Cross and
Red Crescent, along with the huge response by the government,
United Nations agencies and various national and international
non-governmental organizations, helped avert a much feared “second
wave” of deaths due to illness and exposure.
However, while the emergency relief phase of the operation may
be over, the Red Cross and Red Crescent recognizes that many
communities are still vulnerable heading into the coming winter.
Contingency plans are in place for the provision of emergency
shelter items and other assistance for 13,500 families for this
second winter.
In addition, the Red Cross and Red Crescent plans to boost disaster
preparedness at a community-level, enabling people to be in
a better position to help themselves should disaster strike
again. Indeed, the key to the success of the relief and recovery
operation, so far, has been the acceptance and cooperation from
the communities, as well as the selfless efforts of Pakistan
Red Crescent volunteers. Their continued involvement in the
recovery process is essential to ensuring that our humanitarian
assistance is both effective and sustainable.
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Azmat
Ulla, Head of the Pakistan Delegation for the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
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