German donates 10,000 euros for flood relief

A German collects and donates more than 10,000 euros to IRC for rehabilitation of flood survivors.

KARACHI: A German has collected and donated more than 10,000 euros to the Indus Resource Centre (IRC) for the rehabilitation of flood survivors. Christian Hasenstab, the chief financial officer of Merck in Pakistan, said that he wanted to do his bit to help the flood survivors, although he felt that his contribution may be “a drop in the ocean”.

“The pictures and news reports of that devastating flood were just horrifying,” he said. “My family and friends back in Germany [as well as in] other parts of the world asked me how they could help.” People are more willing to help if they know someone who is personally involved in fundraising as they feel that their contributions will be used sagaciously and justly, he added.

Hasenstab said that he felt overwhelmed by the response to his plea for help. “The response thereafter was immense. I got my first response from one of my best friends within hours, who asked me where to send the money.

Soon after, I started getting queries from friends of friends and from people that I didn’t even know.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2010.