This year, more than any other, has been a significant call to action to join the fight against Climate Change, from wildfires and heatwaves in Europe and China, flooding in Australia and now in the latest wave of climate disasters, the devastating monsoon that has hit Pakistan.
Whats happening in Pakistan?
Over the past few weeks Pakistan's monsoon season has hit 10 times heavier than in previous years, making this the heaviest rainfall since 1961. As a result there has been catastrophic flash flooding leaving one-third of the country underwater, affecting over 50 million people with over 6 million people in urgent need of humanitarian aid and significantly reducing Pakistan's food supply; with water covering millions of acres of crops and wiping out thousands of livestock. The UN Secretary General has described the event as a 'Climate Catastrophe'
Pakistan itself is only responsible for less than 1% of the world's planet-warming gases yet European Union data shows it is the eighth most vulnerable nation to the climate crises, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. This shows that whilst we may not always directly see the impacts of climate change in our own backyard, the effect our actions have on our fellow communities across the world is significant.
Our 1 Million Women community asked, on instagram, how you could help. Whilst it's so important to live climate action everyday to make a change in the long run, in this moment of need we have pulled together a list of resources and charities where you can donate directly to the cause in Pakistan and support those most vulnerable in their time of crises.
Important Note before Donating!
It's important before donating to ensure you are giving to a registered charity, unfortunately there are people out there who will capitalise on crises' for their own financial gain so make sure if you're donating to a smaller charity or community fund, that you're doing your research. A great way to do this is to check your country's charity register to ensure your donation is going to a legitimate, registered organisation. We've saved you some time and researched a few ourselves so check out the list below for a few charities we recommend that we know are providing the best direct support and flood relief to those affected.
Where to Check the legitimacy of a Charity:
Australia: https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/programs/map
US: https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/
Here are some options:
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC Appeal)
One of the best places you can donate to is the DEC. The DEC brings together 15 registered UK charities who are experts in humanitarian aid and disaster response to pool their resources and work directly with the governments of disaster affected countries. They are currently running both a Pakistan appeal and a Ukraine appeal. By donating to an organization like DEC you can be sure your money is being distributed to the sectors most in need which may otherwise not receive as much funding.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is already on the ground, providing tens of thousands of emergency shelter and relief items to refugees, displaced people and host communities in the worst hit areas of Balochistan and Khyber Paktunkhwa provinces, as well as sandbags to defend homes from more damage.
World Food Program is assisting in providing food relief, malnutrition prevention and livelihoods assistance. WFP is also supporting the broader logistics response, helping to assess and coordinate where and how relief can be delivered to flood-ravaged areas.
"We are supporting the government of Pakistan as it mobilizes to provide immediate food assistance to families in the areas hit worst by the flooding."
" Save the Children is already operating in the worst affected provinces Shikarpur and Jacobabad, and deploying teams to other hardest-hit areas to assess the immediate needs of children and families. Emergency responders are distributing temporary shelters, household kits including pots and pans, dignity kits for teenage girls, and food packs to families."
Save the Children has so far reached over 11,094 people, including 5,752 children and is working closely with the Pakistani government to scale up their efforts and reach those most in need.
Pakistan based Organisations
Islamic Relief Pakistan is responding, providing vital humanitarian aid through distributing vital items such as tents, food packs, drinking water, cash grants and kitchen sets in Karachi, Malir, Mirpur Khas and Thatta.
"From day one, Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan disaster response teams are on the ground in all across flood affected areas in Pakistan, and have been rescuing people's lives and livelihood, providing relief assistance including cooked food, dry ration packs, tarpaulin sheets, medical aid and other non-food essential items."
Alkhidmat has so far prepared and delivered over 20,334 food packages to those in need, alongside providing tents and tarpaulin for temporary housing solutions and establishing 79 medical camps.
Overseas donations to Alkhidmat can be made through the Aghosh UK and Aghoush USA websites.
Pakistan based organization, Shahid Afridi's Foundation is providing flood relief for those affected in Balochistan and Sindh, the two most affected provinces in terms of human and infrastructural impact.
Transparent Hands is a Pakistan based crowd funding organisation prioritising funding for healthcare and medical needs in the country. They provide free medical surgeries and treatments and are working to establish medical camps across Pakistan. Through donating to Transparent Hands you are able to donate more directly to the cause and in some cases provide specific support to people for their individual medical needs,.
- Disclaimer: as this is a crowdfunding site please donate at your own discretion, although Transparent Hands is an NGO we are unable to prove the legitimacy of individual causes shared on the website.