Sindh floods: New funds collection strategy in the making

Need to gear up relief efforts and seek more funding to help the stressed victims.

ISLAMABAD:

A mechanism to streamline collection of relief funds from donors for the Sindh flood affected people will be developed by Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in collaboration with its partner national and international societies.

This was decided by representatives of PRCS, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC), International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and partner national societies in a meeting held here on Thursday.

PRCS Chairperson Sherry Rehman praised the services of IFRC, ICRC and partner national societies for the Sindh flood victims “in this hour of need”. She said that despite efforts from all sectors to help the victims, there is still a dire need to expedite the relief activities as the flood waters have yet to recede. Thousands are without shelters, their crops have been destroyed and there is an urgent need of medicines to cope with diseases in the affected areas, she said.

Sherry stressed on the need to make combined efforts to meet the challenges and rehabilitate the affected people in the shortest possible time. She urged the societies to gear up their relief efforts and seek more funding to help the victims especially during the approaching winter season.

The representatives of the IFRC, ICRC and partner national societies briefed the PRCS chairperson about their relief activities in the affected areas of Sindh.

IFRC representative, Karen H Bjornestad, informed the meeting that they along with the PRCS are making assessments and after concrete information from the fields they will seek more funding for the victims especially in the field of livelihood, water and sanitation and medical facilities. She said that the assessment will be completed by the end of this month. She also urged for gearing up efforts to seek funding from potential donors within the country.

Representatives of Danish Red Cross, Norwegian Red Cross, Canadian Red Cross, British Red Cross, German Red Cross, UAE Red Crescent, Qatar Red Crescent and Turkish Red Crescent Society also participated in the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2011.