A Glasgow-based charity has launched an emergency appeal to support victims of the devastating floods in Pakistan.
The Sarwar Foundation is aiming to provide 100,000 ration packs to displaced families. A donation of £30 will provide a ration pack for a family of six for a whole month.
The Sarwar Foundation has years of experience of providing food parcel support during emergencies, helping tens of thousands of families during the covid crisis and the 2005 earthquake.
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This comes after heavy rain and floods in Pakistan in recent days killed more than 1,000 people, while millions have been displaced and are waiting for food, drinking water and shelter.
At least 700,000 homes have been destroyed, and rescue teams are struggling to reach cut-off communities, with provinces like Sindh and Balochistan the worst affected.
More flood warnings have been issued for the next 24 hours with the UN secretary general, António Guterres saying it could be a “monsoon on steroids”.
The Sarwar Foundation’s teams on the ground have already started providing ration packs to families, with an aim of reaching all parts of Pakistan. The charity is working with the Punjab Development Network to provide relief to flood victims.
Established by Britain’s first Muslim MP, Mohammad Sarwar, the Sarwar Foundation works to tackle poverty in Scotland and Pakistan, providing clean water and free healthcare to millions in the Punjab.
Mohammad Sarwar, founder of the Sarwar Foundation, said: “Humanitarian aid is urgently needed in Pakistan, where hundreds of people have tragically lost their lives and thousands more are struggling to survive.
“Our target is to provide 100,000 ration packs to displaced families, and a donation of just £30 will enable us to feed a household for a month.
“The people of Glasgow and Scotland have shown immense kindness to the people of Pakistan in the past, and we appeal to anyone who can help us respond to this emergency to make a donation.”
António Guterres said: “The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids – the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding. It breaks my heart to see these generous people suffering so much.
“People living in these [climate crisis] hotspots are 15 times more likely to die from climate impacts."
Guterres added: “As we continue to see more and more extreme weather events around the world, it is outrageous that climate action is being put on the back burner, putting all of us, everywhere, in growing danger.”
The UN has issued an urgent appeal for $160m (£136m) to provide help.
Donations can be made at www.sarwarfoundation.org.
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