Photo Credit: SAJJAD QAYYUM/AFP/Getty Images

As you know, Acumen Fund is committed to working in Pakistan where we have been operating since 2002. We have been closely watching the developments with the severe flooding on the ground, and would like to provide an update on the situation, highlighting organizations that you can support in their response efforts to this grave and urgent situation.

Pakistan has been affected by the worst floods in living memory.  13.8 million people have been displaced by the flood and 6 million of these require immediate help according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),.  The floods have severely affected all of the provinces of the country and the magnitude of the devastation dwarfs other recent natural disasters. The millions who have been displaced were living at or below the poverty line and whatever little possessions and assets they had have been washed away, and their crops destroyed by the flood. The public infrastructure in the region – including access roads and bridges – have been badly damaged or have collapsed. There is a desperate need for temporary shelter, clean drinking water and toilets to avert a public health catastrophe. People also need basic goods and essential medical care.

In the wake of this devastation, thousands of Pakistanis – together with national and international relief organizations – have stepped forward to generously contribute and volunteer their time and resources to alleviate the suffering of their fellow country men and women. While Acumen Fund works in Pakistan with some of the leading social enterprises to provide low-income groups with access to critical products and services in a sustainable way, we do not have the capability to be directly involved in relief activities. We call on our community of supporters and partners around the world to support relief organizations working in Pakistan and assist in any way they can to make a difference in this grave and urgent humanitarian situation.

Many organizations are doing extraordinary work directly, and we would like to recommend a few organizations we trust that you might consider supporting in their Pakistan flood relief efforts. We hope to share more information with you all through our blog as we hear more from those working on-the-ground in Pakistan.

1. Rural Support Program Network (RSPN) is a national organization and the largest non-government network of rural development programs.  RSPN’s partners have worked extensively in disaster relief efforts in Pakistan, including the 2005 Earthquake. RSPN is collecting donations for affected families. Donations will be provided to affected families through the on-ground network of RSPN’s partners, including SRSO that is headed by Dr. Sono Khangharani, a long time Acumen friend.
2. The Citizens Foundation (TCF) is a non-profit organization set up in 1995 by a group of citizens concerned with the dismal state of education in Pakistan. It is now one of Pakistan’s leading organizations in the field of formal education.  It has 660 school units in hundreds of rural areas and urban slums located in 68 towns and cities across Pakistan.  Although its focus is on education, TCF was actively involved in relief efforts after the earthquake and is once again mobilizing resources to contribute towards the flood relief efforts.  TCF plans to provide food packages to flood affected people and has set a target to provide 20 million meals to these people in 30 days.  The aid will be in the form of ration bags containing flour, rice, cooking oil/ghee, lentils, dried milk, sugar, salts and spices, dates etc. Each bag will feed a family for a month. To give to TCF in the US, follow this link.
3. Kashf Foundation, one of the largest micro finance organizations in Pakistan which lends to women in low income communities, is also an Acumen Fund investee.  Kashf has also started a relief drive wherein relief packages will be distributed to 10,000 households in the most affected areas. Each relief package will sustain a household of 5 members for 4 weeks. Kashf undertook similar relief efforts in 2005 where 10,000 families were provided food and shelter through its efforts and in 2009 to 1,000 internally displaced families.Given Kashf Foundation’s focus on provide sustainable livelihoods, the next phase of rehabilitation will involve support through access to financial services so that affected households can rebuild their income streams.To make a donation, contact CEO Roshaneh Zafar via her assistant Fatima Raja: fatima.raja@kashf.org
   
4. International Rescue Committee is responding to the devastation caused by severe monsoon season rains and extensive flash flooding throughout Pakistan. With a robust network of local staff and partners already on the ground, and 30 years of experience working in Pakistan, the IRC is well-positioned to provide shelter, clean water, sanitation, and essential supplies to those who have fled the rising waters.
5. Mahvash And Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation, established in 2003, is a charitable, not-for-profit organization which is run by several Board Members and staff on a gratis basis. On Flood relief, the Foundation has designed a Relief Process that provides basic food, clean water, and essential medicine. The Foundation is in close coordination with local NGOs to directly provide basic relief items such as 8 day food rations and clean drinking water. MJSF is currently working in selected areas of Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa. MJSF is also an Acumen Fund partner supporting social entrepreneurship in Pakistan since 2005.

Aun Rahman is the Country Director for Acumen Fund Pakistan.