Left: UNITED SIKHS distributing food package to affected families in Shangla, Pakistan. Right: Volunteers packing and preparing aid packages.
Peshawar, Pakistan:–On November 8th, 2015, UNITED SIKHS launched the Pak-Afghan Earthquake Relief Effort to provide aid and assistance to individuals affected by one of the strongest earthquakes the region has ever seen.
On October 26, 2015, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake rocked Afghanistan. Deadly tremors were felt in Pakistan, with the majority of victims from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province located in the northwestern region of the country. The death toll in Pakistan has reached 300, and more than 3,000 are injured. 74,885 houses and 497 schools have been damaged, and 29,162 houses completely destroyed.
Left: UNITED SIKHS volunteer Ravi Singh visiting the site of destroyed houses in Shangla. Right: Homeless children describing the quake that destroyed their home.
Click here for videos and photos of the Pak-Afghan Relief Effort.
Relief Effort Launched:
The relief effort began in the Shangla district of KPK, which is one of the districts most devastated by the earthquake. 50 individuals were killed in Shangla, and over 200 were injured. 22,000 houses and 143 schools were also either damaged or completely destroyed in this district. UNITED SIKHS has distributed 400 food packages to 400 families in this region.
Each food package contains the following items:
From the Ground:
“After traveling 12 hours by truck and 8 hours by flying coach van on Sunday, November 8, our team reached the Shangla district of KPK. During distribution, I met a family with two children whose home was completely destroyed and who were spending nights under the open sky and in cold weather. Upon receiving food aid from us, they were very pleased,” said Herdyal Singh, UNITED SIKHS Project Coordinator in Pakistan. He further added that relief work will expand to Afghanistan after security clearance.
UNITED SIKHS volunteers spoke to the Assistant Commissioner of Shangla, who stated, “First of all, I am thankful to UNITED SIKHS, who is providing relief aid to earthquake victims, where people are in dire need of emergency aid like food. I hope they continue to support our people. Shangla is a district of KPK which has been more affected than most in the KPK province. The people have taken shelter in camps, and some are living under the open sky and facing cold weather. We really need to come forward to help these people so that they can survive on their own in the future.”
UNITED SIKHS plans to distribute more relief packs to families in need in affected areas. Each pack will cost 2,000 Pakistani Rupees, or USD 18.97, and will contain rice and other foodstuffs. Packages will be distributed in the Swat, Dir, and Bunner districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan. Please donate today to help us provide aid to those in need.
Click here see UNITED SIKHS’ previous work in Pakistan. Interviews of affected Pakistani families may be viewed here.
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Issued By-
Herdyal Singh
Project Coordinator, UNITED SIKHS (Pakistan)
P: 0092-333-9113230
E:sikhaid@unitedsikhs.org | contact@unitedsikhs.org
