Starting point
In July 2010, there was no indication that the monsoon rain in Pakistan would have such dramatic consequences. However, the rain in the country, whose mountains in the north are more than 7,000 meters high and whose plains in the south are just above sea level, did not stop.
The masses of water in the deep and narrow canyons of the high mountains swept everything with them that got in their way: bridges, streets and houses. Due to the steep mountains, the force of the water was immense and it quickly backed up in the plains. The dams broke and a surface half the size of Germany was flooded. More than 20 million people had to flee the flood, hardly anything was left of people's harvest and many houses were destroyed.
Aims of the project
For decades, DAHW has been working together with its partners Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre (MALC, Karachi) and Aid to Leprosy Patients (ALP, Rawalpindi). Directly after the first reports about the extent of this flood were published, first-aid measures were under way. The two partner organisations together have more than 250 employees in all regions and could thus ensure a decentralised distribution of relief supplies. Within the first days of providing emergency relief, a large number of voluntary helpers joined the teams of DAHW's partners.
In all their activities, DAHW and its partners always put particular emphasis on those people who are at a disadvantage even under normal circumstances: people with disabilities or stigmatising diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis (TB).
Among the large number of refugees, there were many patients who were under treatment for leprosy or TB. Workers in the refugee camps thus looked for these patients in a targeted way to enable a continuation of therapy. By doing so, they could, at the same time, get an idea of the situation and find out where there were particular needs.
Activities
Immediately after starting the first emergency relief measures, DAHW and its partners developed a multi-level plan for sustainable flood relief. The first priority was supplying the large number of refugees with medicine, food, clean water and tents. In addition, doctors of DAHW's partners provided medical assistance to people in the refugee camps.
The next step was to organise their return home. To this end, they received seeds and artificial fertilizer, tents and blankets as well as food for the time until the next harvest.
For the time being, reconstruction is planned for three years. Reconstruction comprises numerous building measures, renovating or reconstructing the houses of people affected, but also measures that create income and social aid.
What was achieved in 2010?
Through several appeals for donations, DAHW received a total of 3,912,352 Euro in donations for flood relief, 30,000 Euro of which came from the Austrian organisation for the fight against leprosy (Aussätzigenhilfswerk Österreich, AÖ) and 852,500 Euro came from the Alliance Development Works (Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft, BEH). DAHW is a partner of this association and at the same time a long-standing and reliable player in Pakistan which uses donations according to the donors' interests for targeted emergency relief and sustainable supporting measures.
More than 200,000 people received help thanks to these donations. DAHW's partners distributed 6,787 survival kits as emergency relief measures – every parcel provided an entire family with everything they needed to survive for one week. In addition, 1,059 tents, clothes for 839 families as well as household utensils and cooking utensils for 876 families were distributed. In the refugee camps, DAHW's partners provided medical assistance and purified drinking water around the clock.
In the mountains of Kalam, where villages could not be reached by road, DAHW's partners used helicopters to fly in 10,000 family food rations for four weeks each. The Pakistani army had taken care of the cargo flights.
A total of 300 families could start over thanks to DAHW and its partners. The people received food, tents and blankets to bridge the time until the next harvest. The same amount of families received seeds and artificial fertilizer from the partners.
Plans for 2011
In 2010, DAHW and its partners could not fully start with reconstruction, as the water in the South ran off very slowly and because winter had already set in in the North. DAHW has thus made provisions in the form of a Pakistan fund from the not-yet-used donations. With these funds, the partners on site will be able to finance all necessary supporting measures in the years to come.
Risks of the project
The greatest risk in Pakistan is that the next natural disaster will come and that aid programmes will have to start from the beginning.
For this reason, DAHW and its partners make sure they adhere to technical demands when repairing and rebuilding houses so that the houses can withstand the next flood or the next severe earthquake.
Politically-motivated conflicts can also complicate DAHW's work.
