Pakistan still needs more aid, say volunteers

Turkish aid organization Kimse Yok Mu, whose volunteers have been actively taking part in post-disaster relief efforts, say more donations and aid are needed to help alleviate some of the suffering in Pakistan.

Hundreds of people who have lost everything they owned in Charsadda -- a town located 29 kilometers from Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province -- gather in the evening for a fast-breaking dinner, an iftar, organized by Kimse Yok Mu. The organization must first prepare the iftar meal to be distributed elsewhere and then transfer the pre-prepared meals to state schools that are hosting flood victims. These are the only meals most of the victims will be able have.

There has already been an outbreak of disease among children. One of those affected is Tangai Gul Abad; she waits for a meal so that she can feed her baby whose neck is affected by a skin disease. Everyone’s spirits lighten when they see Kimse Yok Mu’s van near by.

Flood victim Izharul Hak says: “We are grateful for this aid from Turkey. We don’t know how to thank you. What we eat here is better than what we used to eat in our own homes. God bless everyone who donated money.”

Sas Begum, who has also taken shelter at a school building here, says: “We have lost everything. At least we are being fed here. We wouldn’t be able to buy such good food even with our own money. Thank you to everyone. Our prayers are with you.” As he speaks, children leaving the school who have already eaten say, “Thank you, Turkey.”

Hands are raised to the sky in prayer at Kimse Yok Mu’s iftars. Gratitude is expressed to those who have made donations. There is also a doctor to tend to the sick. In Charsadda, where nearly 500 have died, it is a fight for survival as people stay in tents or state school buildings.

Turkish schools take action again

Turkish schools, which have earned the respect and appreciation of the people and the administration in every country where they have been established, instantly rushed to help Pakistani flood victims. The PakTurk education institution -- which was awarded a state service medal for its contribution to relief efforts after the devastating 2005 earthquake in Pakistan -- has started a donation campaign for the flood victims. PakTurk is also leading the distribution of supplies. The Pakistani’s gratitude is so great that flood victims in Charsadda who flocked around an aid convoy with the intention of pillaging backed off when they were told it was a Turkish convoy.

Turkish schools are organizing iftar and suhoor meals (the meal before the daily fast) everyday, and Turkish nationals are overseeing distribution.

‘We could barely stay alive’

As flood waters head south, many people are fighting for survival along the country’s highways. Roadsides are crammed with flood victims, as most highways are built on elevated ground, above the level of the country’s settlements. The sight of people trying to feed livestock, children running around as if nothing has happened and fathers with troubled expressions is common as one drives to Peshawar from the capital, Islamabad.

Children swimming or playing in flood waters in the towns of Nowshera and Charsadda, both near Peshawar, smile at our cameras. When we speak with the residents who have lost their homes and even entire villages, they tell us their tragic stories. Residents of the towns of Djabadozay, İhsanullah, Janan and Riaz Han state that when the flood waters came they were all asleep. They suddenly heard people screaming. “There was no place to go because the area is surrounded by plains. So we decided to go to the highway, which lies at a higher level. Eighty people died in our village,” one of them says. Dead bodies continued to turn up 19 days after the flood.

There was a similar situation in Charsadda, where nearly 500 people died. The flood waters have receded, but none of the houses remain. Flood waters rose as high as 10 meters here, taking bridges and other structures with them as they rushed past. Sadullah Han, a 63-year-old resident says: “We could barely stay alive. I have never seen such a disaster.”

The monsoon season in Pakistan will last for another week or two, meteorologists warn. Pakistanis now must worry about epidemics and various diseases, particularly cholera, that will emerge once the flood waters recede.