A Once in a Century Emergency

One third of Pakistan is underwater. Over half the country has been declared “calamity hit.” More than 1,500 people are dead, and more than 400 of them are children. More than 33 million people are affected by the floods, and the survivors have lost family members, their homes, and their livelihoods to the floodwaters.

Children fleeing the floodwaters have taken refuge in temporary shelters with their families. The rains have stopped, but the lingering waters are preventing families from returning home until they can be drained. The shelters lack proper sanitation, can’t provide access to education, and children are struggling with fear, anxiety, grief, and uncertainty about the future.

Your donation can help children stay safe and cope with fear so they can recover and return to learning.

You Can Help Pakistan’s Children Hold On

As children crowd into temporary shelters on high ground, our priority is making sure they have the emotional and mental support they need. Given the right support, children can cope with and recover from the negative emotions and experiences of the floods. But that support needs to start immediately, and you can help us provide it.

Right To Play has been working in Sindh province, the centre of the flooding, since 2011. In three districts, we are the only organization providing psychosocial support for children, mobilizing our network of local volunteers to reach areas cut off by floods.

Our volunteers are also helping them stay healthy. Coaches are distributing hygiene kits with mosquito nets to families to help them avoid malaria and other diseases that the floods have brought.

When a family receives a kit, coaches use their skills with health games to help them understand how to use the materials inside properly. The kits are essential for families’ health until the floodwaters recede and they can leave their temporary shelters.

An Educational Emergency

Even once children do return home, the effects of the crisis will linger long after the floods are gone. Pakistan was already facing a school shortage that left millions of children out of school, and the floods have made the situation worse by damaging or destroying more than 18,000 schools.

We are working with our partners in government to meet this challenge and open the doors of school so children can return safely.

We work with more than 70 schools and 30 informal learning centers in the districts where our emergency response is being concentrated. These schools and the children they serve, will require ongoing support well after the floods are over.

Your donation can help ensure schools are safe and that children pursue an education that will allow them to grasp a brighter future.