wfn.org | In Pakistan, CWS Develops Psychosocial And Protection Programs

["Lesley Crosson" <lcrosson@churchworldservice.org>]

IN PAKISTAN, CHURCH WORLD SERVICE DEVELOPS PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PROTECTION
PROGRAMS

Agency Continues to Expand on Deliveries of Relief Items

NEW YORK / ISLAMABAD - Oct 20--In Pakistan, quake-hit areas face a second
wave of deaths, with thousands of injured people who remain untreated in
the most remote mountain villages as winter closes in fast, reports
humanitarian agency Church World Service. Temperatures have already
dropped to the low 40s in Balakot, and snow has fallen on nearby mountains. With bad weather conditions hampering relief activities and the inaccessibility of roads to many areas, relief workers are distributing some relief
supplies and medical care on foot. With a shortage of helicopters, the
only practical way to reach dozens of affected villages nestled in the
mountains of northwestern Pakistan is to walk in, using donkeys, mules,
and horses for the delivery of relief items.

[The Karakorum Highway has slid deep into the Kunhar River at various
points, while at others massive debris sits blocking the path. A key road
into the quake-devastated Jhelum valley in Azad Kashmir was reopened by
army bulldozers on Monday (Oct 17), allowing a flood of relief aid into
areas previously only reached by helicopter.]

Church World Service's latest distributions include nearly 1,300 shelter
kits and 1,000 food packages in Battagram, in the North West Frontier
Province, and was made possible through the assistance of Pakistan Army
helicopters.  A CWS team met today with army representatives to discuss
distributing shelter kits and food packages in remote parts of Balakot
district tomorrow.

The CWS response now also includes a protection and psychosocial focus.
Initially the focus will be on staff care, protection of vulnerable
people, and, eventually, psychosocial programming integrated within the
larger response. Short radio advertisements are being designed to offer
reassurance and support to people and children who were directly affected,
and to those who have witnessed the earthquake from the cities and who
continue to be anxious. Posters concerning the normal psychosocial effects
of hazardous events and bereavement are being developed, specifically for
children.

A regional television network working with the CWS team has offered free
air transport of relief goods from Karachi to Islamabad. The network, ARY,
has also offered to run on air, free of charge, any concerns that the CWS
team or its partners may have in the field.

Ruined sewage systems and drinking water sources have brought fear of
disease, but Health Minister Mohammad Naseer Khan told Reuters that
vaccination teams were fanning out to inoculate people against diseases
such as cholera and tetanus. There were no signs yet of epidemics, he
said. "To date, I think, praise to God, we have, fortunately, no signs,
but we are constantly monitoring because that is the key thing till we
clear off the debris and bury the bodies."

An international donors' conference is being convened in Geneva on October
24, to assess Pakistan's needs for rehabilitation and reconstruction of
the quake-ravaged areas. The European Union will also meet next week to
assess and discuss Pakistan's reconstruction needs. Reconstruction costs
could go beyond $5 billion, some estimates say.

Church World Service is helping to provide shelter kits (family-sized
tent, ground sheet, plastic sheet, two iron poles, and four blankets), as
well as family food packages, to 20,000 of the worst affected families.

Each shelter kit is valued at $172.  Contributions to support these
efforts may be sent to:
Church World Service
Southern Asia Earthquake--#6979
P.O. Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515

Contributions may also be made online, or by calling 800.297.1516, ext.
222.

Contact:
Jan Dragin - 24/7 - (781) 925-1526, jdragin@gis.net
Lesley Crosson, (212) 870-2676, lcrosson@churchworldservice.org