Slow world donor response threatens a generation in Pakistan, says Church World Service

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> Church World Service
> 475 Riverside Drive
> New York, New York 10115

> For Immediate Release

> August 17, 2010

Slow world donor response threatens a generation
in Pakistan, says Church World Service

Pakistan NGO Forum calls for dramatic funding increase

Agency mobile health units combating rising disease threats

NEW YORK, N.Y. ? Tues. Aug. 17, 20110 -- Church World Service
officials urged a more robust response from the international donor
community to Pakistanâ??s devastating flooding disaster. The global
relief and development agency voiced even deeper worries over whether
or not pledges will be fulfilled.

While the international community has so far committed close to
US$229.5 million in support and another US$142 million in additional
pledges, those pledge amounts alone are insufficient to cover even the
initial three-month relief needs outlined by the United Nations, says
Donna Derr, Director of Humanitarian Assistance for Church World 
Service.

â??Thankfully the floodâ??s death toll has remained relatively  low 
but
disasters canâ??t be measured by just the number of dead,â?? sa ys
CWSâ??s Derr. â??Effective humanitarian response must be measur ed
against the all the people affected, just struggling to survive.â??

The initial UN plan calls for US$460 million. The Pakistan
Humanitarian Forum, of which CWS is a member, calls on government and
private sources to dramatically increase funding in order to save 
lives.

With offices in Pakistan since 1954, CWS relief and development
experts are concerned Pakistanâ??s already weak social services may
crumble without adequate and immediate help now. Millions of
Pakistanis risk sinking deeper into chronic poverty for the next
generation, compromising human rights and basic needs.

Making pledges pay off on the ground is a chronic challenge among the
world donor community. In recent U.N. appeals for the internally
displaced in Pakistanâ??s northwest, some donors were moderately quick
to pledge funding but hesitant to follow through with actual 
commitments.

Church World Service continues to distribute food and non-food items
across Pakistan. The agencyâ??s health teams and mobile health units
are focusing on providing preventive and curative health services.
Another CWS mobile health unit was dispatched yesterday (August 16) to
Kewaii Union Council, Mansehra District, rescheduled from its original
assignment in Kohistan, which is still inaccessible to aid teams.

As its response expands, CWSâ??s completed, ongoing and planned
activities will benefit a total of 237,950 individuals in seven
districts of three provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkwa, Balochistan and 
Sindh.

How to help: Contributions to support emergency needs in Pakistan may
be made online at churchworldservice.org/pakistanfloods, by phoning
(800) 297-1516, or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN
46515. Attn: Pakistan floods.

Church World Service is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global
coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development,
humanitarian assistance and advocacy.

> Media Contacts

Lesley Crosson, 212.870-2676, media@churchworldservice.org

> Jan Dragin, 781.925-1526, jdragin@gis.net