The Engineering for Change community would like to express our condolences and support for the 20 million people affected by the flooding in Pakistan. More than two weeks after the country’s worst-ever flooding began, one-fifth of the country is under water. At least 1,500 people have died, 900,000 are homeless and hundreds of thousands are marooned in their villages and cut off from aid. And now, a new danger looms: the lack of clean drinking water threatens millions with cholera and other disease. As many as 3.5 million children are at risk for contracting diarrhea and dysentery from polluted water, according to Maurizio Giuliano, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Relief agencies are providing temporary shelter, clean water, toilets, medical care and food. They need financial support. The US government has made it easy for people in the United States to donate. Simply text the word “SWAT” to the number 50555. Each text donates $10 to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Call for ideas
Because access to clean water is a pressing concern now, we encourage you to share ideas and insights for water treatment technologies that are appropriate for this crisis in our comments section. Additional ideas that would be valuable to the relief work on the ground are also encouraged.
Here is a short list of agencies that accept donations. Suggestions for additions to this list are welcome. Please make note in the comments section.
To donate online:
- UNHCR, for online donations Text the word “SWAT” to the number 50555 to donate $10 to UNHCR
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
- Save the Children‘s Pakistan emergency fund
- UNICEF
- Oxfam
Pakistan Floods Appeal
This is an appeal for donations from Oxfam
Flood-affected women and children in north-western Pakistan urgently need life-saving aid
6 August 2010 – UNICEF correspondent Chris Niles reports on the growing humanitarian crisis in flooded areas of north-western Pakistan.
