Muzafarabad and Mansehra / Pakistan

Winter emergency relief for homeless families in the earthquake affected areas

On the 8th of October an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale has affected large areas in northern Pakistan and two districts in India. The death toll on Pakistans territory has exceeded the number of 70,000 and more than four million people suffer from the impact of the earthquake.The affected areas are mountainous and therefore difficult to access; the situation has been further aggravated by landslides and destroyed infrastructure. The local government and international relief organizations are still facing major challenges due to the high number of injured people who are still without medical treatment, the enormous amount of destroyed houses, and the inaccessibility of victims.

Situation

A lot of people still live in non-winterized shelters which do not provide enough protection against the cold winter season. The cold weather and the lack of medical care are major threats to their lifes. 90 percent of the houses in the mountainous region Azad Kashmir as well as in the districts Mansehra and Batgram in the North-West-Frontier region are completely destroyed and the remainder are all damaged to one degree or another. The population in the affected areas mainly lives on agricultural activities and cattle-breeding. Since all the buildings are destroyed, food storage and protection of the livestock has become nearly impossible. People are prone to further health risks because of a lack of food, income and protection against the cold weather. First priority has to be given to winterized shelters for the affected population.

Within the framework of the alliance Aktion Deutschland Hilft Malteser International in cooperation with other relief organizations distributed tents and blankets for about 70,000 people in the Kashmir region immediately after the disasterOn the basis of the results of an intensive assessment mission on the spot Malteser International now implements two winter relief programs for homeless families in the mountainous regions of Muzaffarabad and Mansehra. In Tandali and Kanga, Malteser International provides 4,000 people in remote mountain villages with tents, matrices, plastic sheets, cooking utensils and blankets. High priority is given to households and families, which are cared for by women alone and for families with a lot of children or elderly people. The same assistance is given to around 1,000 families around 10,000 people in Mansehra und Batgram. Additionally, Malteser International distributes food items like oil, rice, lenses etc.

Goals

Assurance of the survival of homeless families in the earthquake affected areas
Reduction of health risks due to the lack of shelter and protection against the cold weather
Reinforcement of especially vulnerable groups of the society

Measures

Set-up of a logistical centre in Muzaffarabad in cooperation with our Turkish partner organization International Blue Crescent (IBC), from where on the distribution of relief items will be coordinated
Distribution of relief items in cooperation with the Pakistani network of the Deutsche Lepra- und Tuberkulosehilfe e.V. (German Leprosy and TB Relief Association, GLRA) and with IBC, especially winterized tents for families in remote mountain villages in the framework of two integrated winter relief programs
Preparation of rehabilitation projects for the period after the snowmelt in spring time
In the affected areas in India Malteser International provides medical assistance through two local partner organizations.

Project data