Folkekirkens Nødhjælp har indtil videre givet 200.000 kroner til hjælparbejdet efter det voldsomme jordskælv, der lørdag ramte det nordlige Pakistan og Indien.
Pengene vil blive fordelt gennem ACT, Kirkernes Internationale Nødhjælp, som i første omgang vil sørge for mad til 950 familier i de mest isolerede egne af North West Frontier Province i Pakistan samt den pakistanske del af Kashmir.
Neden for kan læses det seneste fra ACT på engelsk
– Vi er desuden i gang med via vores indiske samarbejdspartner CASA at undersøge mulighederne for at hjælpe ofrene i den indiske del af Kashmir. På grund af koflikten mellem Pakistan og Indien er området kontrolleret af det indiske militær, og derfor kan man ikke deltage i hjælpearbejdet uden særlig tilladelse, siger Nødhjælpens generalsekretær Henrik Stubkjær.
Han frygter, at situationen i Indien er værre end hidtil antaget.
I Pakistan er ACT-partneren Church World Service (CWS) aktive i hjælpearbejdet i samarbejde med internationale og lokale organisationer. CWS har arbejdet i Pakistan i mange år og har et godt lokalt netværk.
Organisationen er ved at forberede en appel, der vil gøre det muligt at hjælpe 15.000 familier med mad, kogegrej, tæpper og midlertidigt husly. Allerede nu er der planer om at yde hjælp i forbindelse med genopbygningen.
Seneste nyt fra ACT, Kirkernes Internationale Nødhjælp:
ACT members coordinate response to South Asia earthquake
(Geneva, October 10, 2005 12.45)
As the extent of damage and number of deaths becomes more apparent following Saturday morning’s powerful earthquake in Pakistan, members of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International continue to provide immediate relief to survivors while preparing for a major, organized response.
The ACT member in the region where the quake hit, Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS P/A), began responding to the situation immediately and was able to send food items to the most-affected areas of Pakistan – Azad Kashmir and North West Frontier Province (NWFP) – yesterday evening to assist 1.600 families. The food items included wheat flour, rice, pulses, sugar, cooking oil, tea and salt. Match boxes and soap were also provided to the families.
CWS P/A reports that health camps in affected areas to serve 50.000 to 100.000 people are in the process of being set up. CWS P/A is also chair of the Humanitarian Forum in Pakistan and was one of the first organizations to call for a coordination meeting of the forum’s members.
At the meeting it was decided to immediately send three teams to Azad Kashmir and NWFP to carry out a needs-assessment survey. The teams are in the field now, and the information they gather directly in the field will form the basis of the response by CWS P/A and other organizations.
ACT member Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is sending a staff member to Islamabad, Pakistans capital, to coordinate with CWS P/A as well as NCA’s own office in the Peshawar area and partners it has in Pakistan.
The NCA staff member will also visit affected areas with CWS P/A staff in the coming days for assessments and planning. NCA’s Afghanistan relief coordinator is also en route to Pakistan, together with a water and sanitation consultant for assessments and strengthening of the operation.
In addition, NCA is communicating with ACT members Church of Sweden and U.S.-based Presbyterian Disaster Assistance regarding a possible psycho-social intervention if it is deemed necessary in the future.
ACT members around the world are receiving donations from their constituencies and indicating pledges toward the response to the quake. The ACT Coordinating Office in Geneva is expecting to issue an appeal for several million U.S. dollars within the next 24 hours from CWS P/A and is sending funds immediately as an advance to this appeal and to cover the immediate assistance CWS P/A has provided.
CWS P/A is planning to assist 15.000 families with food items, shelter kits and house reconstruction kits, which will consist of a tent, one ground sheet, plastic sheeting, iron beams and poles, cement, windows, and a door. The appeal will also include costs for running the health camps.
Kilde: www.noedhjaelp.dk
