5 ways to help Pakistan

The water may be finally receding from Pakistan after weeks of violent floods, but the devastation is only now being realized by aid workers who still need funding to provide relief.

Four million are now homeless, and another million are at-risk for water-borne illnesses, CNN reports. Another 1,500 to 1,600 are thought to be dead — a number that is expected to climb as more animals and people appear when the water is gone.

At the same time, resources for charities sending help to the Middle Eastern country are drying up, and donations have been slow. CNN says the U.N. still needs $200 million for aid. As a result, relief efforts are, as Wired.com says, “stuck at 1.0.”

We can help! See what these two organizations are doing for flood relief.

• • Save the Children, a US-based nonprofit that helps children around the world, has started the “Pakistan Children in Emergency Fund.” The organization is calling on staff in the flood zone to “rush aid to displaced children and families who need essential supplies. We are ready to provide more relief as conditions allow and to help protect children from further harm.” Help here.
• • OMEED is a Minnesota-based company that provides disaster relief food, medical care, shelter, and sustainable development, primarily in Southeast Asia. In the wake of the flood, OMEED is providing food to flood survivors. Help here.

Other projects making a difference in Pakistan include:

• • The “Three Cups of Tea” campaign, started by Conestoga High School students, and “Pennies for Pencils,” started by Northview High School students. Both groups are raising money to help build schools for disadvantaged children in Pakistan and Afghanistan with the Central Asia Institute. The institute aims to “promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.” Learn more about the institute and support the student campaigns.
• • Oxfam America, an international disaster relief nonprofit, which is working on Pakistani disaster relief. Help Oxfam here.
• • The American Red Cross, which has received $670,000 and plans to spend at least $1-million on Pakistan flood zone, provides disaster relief internationally. Help the Red Cross here.

Are there other ways you are helping flood victims, or do you have other favorite organizations? We’ll update this page if more nonprofits come to light.