Speaking about the plight of the thousands of orphan and injured children she said “with care, their broken bodies will heal. But just as urgent, and just as painful, are the wounds we cannot see the psychological trauma of what they have endured and how much they have lost. They need our help and support to cope.”
Nana Annan Visits Children in Hospital
UN Secretary General's wife Ms Nana Annan visited the Pakistan Institute for Medical Sciences on November 18 and met with the children injured in the quake and praised hospital staff for their rapid response and their all-out effort in finding and assisting those in need
of medical care.
Among the children she met was 6-year-old Ifra, who was rescued from the rubble of a school in Muzaffarabad and evacuated by air. She is so severely affected by the terror of the quake that she hardly speaks or smiles. But she is among the lucky ones, who survived, and treated for her severely broken right leg and is recovering.
Salimah Aga Khan Visits Kashmir
SOS villages equipped with the latest facilities were being established in the quake-hit areas of Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot to accommodate 500 orphans said Princess Salimah Aga Khan who visited the area on December 14 and held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
She assured him that her organization would extend every possible help and assistance to earthquake victims.
Jolie Warns Against Adoption
Hollywood star and UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie who toured the disaster areas on November 24 warned against allowing children to be adopted too soon. “Sometimes you read that this many children have been orphaned and this many children need shelter, following a war or a natural disaster. So adoption at that time is not the best option – rather it is to get a warm environment that should continue.” She emphasized that people should not jump in to adopt quake orphans.
Brad Pitt Donates Beds for PIMS
Hollywood star Brad Pitt announced donation of 40 orthopedic beds to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on November 27. The star visited Allai Valley , Balakot and Muzaffarabad along with the UNCHR Goodwill Ambassador and Hollywood star Angelina Jolie. After his visit to the earthquake areas Mr Pitt said “These people have suffered so much but they have such tremendous spirit.”¦
Donors Pledge over US $5.8 billion for Quake Victims
The international community pledged more than US $5.8 billion in assistance to quake-devastated Pakistan . “We are really touched by your generosity, by your feeling of sharing our grief,” Pakistani Prime Minister said at the end of the international donor conference held in Islamabad on November 19.
As many as 80 countries, international agencies and funding institutions and private corporations came together to assist Pakistan in relief and rehabilitation of millions of survivors of October 8 earthquake. Out of the total $5.8 billion dollars, $3.9 billion dollars were in the form of loans while remaining $1.9 billion dollars were to be provided as grants.
Response at an initial donor conference in Geneva on October 26 had been limited, with UN Secretary-General warning of a second wave of deaths unless the international community was not more forthcoming. After touring the quake-hit areas he said that the devastation was “unimaginable; one had to see it to understand what has happened.”. Annan thanked the donors who have already stepped forward, the international organizations that are providing support and NGOs, both local and international, whom he called “heroic.”
Earlier the UN had said that “death traps were forming in the quake stricken areas as blocked roads and a lack of funding hindered relief deliveries to the survivors. After 16 days of the massive disaster the donors had only pledged a mere 29% of the $312 million flash appeal. By comparison the UN flash appeal after the tsunami was over 80% funded within ten days of the disaster.
At a press conference in Islamabad Mr Annan was asked what had moved him the most. “The bewilderment of two orphans and two women who had lost members of their family, he said, adding that you could see their trauma in their eyes, and their questions: “Why me? Why did this happen? Where do I go from here? What next?” At the same time he was moved by signs of hope, when he saw tent schools with young people studying in the open with the blackboard and their teacher. ¦
Scabies in Kashmir Camps
Around 70% of people living in tent camps have scabies, a skin disease directly linked to polluted environment. A survey conducted by a national newspaper revealed that unhygienic conditions still prevail in relief camps in Muzaffarabad, causing skin and stomach diseases.
Poor sanitation and lack of toilets and cooking facilities added to the problems of the people. Piles of rubbish lie rotting in the relief camps and contaminated water is supplied to the camps, causing an increase in the number of cases of diarrhoea. Pneumonia is another killer in the camps, affecting mainly children. On average eight to 10 people live in one tent, and the washrooms are insufficient said a student living in one of the tents. A mother said she could not bathe her kids for weeks due to lack of hot water. A doctor working in the area said anti-scabies lotion was available but in limited quantity and therefore not all the patients could get it. Lice infestation was also fast spreading among children. |
