ASIA/PAKISTAN - After the flood disaster: parish priest visits victims and organizes emergency aid

Multan (Agenzia Fides) - In Taunsa, on the border between the provinces of Punjab and Balochistan, more than 100 Catholic families (a total of about 5,000 people) are in need and face abandonment and despair after severe floods inundated their homes and fields and swept away their cattle. This is what Father Emmanuel Parvez, 70 years old, parish priest in Pansara, a town in the diocese of Faisalabad, tells Fides after visiting these families in recent days and providing humanitarian aid such as tents, food, rice, oil, cereals. "I had personally met some young people from this place over the past few years thanks to the sports tournament that we hold every year in Kushpur, which brings together young people from all over Pakistan, from different regions, cultures and religions for a moment of joy and happiness cultural exchange. We received an appeal for donations from them and, with a group of parishioners, we went to visit them", says the priest, who realized that the local people lived in great poverty.
"Now the water has receded," he says, "but these people
do not know how to continue to live their daily life. Institutional aid is slow and scarce and cannot reach all those in need. Furthermore, Christian villages are often abandoned to themselves even by the institutions, due to a discriminatory mentality that prevails in the minds of some public officials. We are trying to do everything possible to help them. Some families have also expressed a desire to move to Faisalabad, and we are looking for a decent accommodation for them", reports Fr. Parvez. "It was very important to go to these people, to express our consolation and solidarity and to show our material and spiritual closeness. It helps them and gives them a seed of hope".
The parish priest also received another request for help from Hub, a town north of Karachi, in the province of Sindh, from a village where 10 Muslim and as many Christian families live together. "We have also activated an initial network of help for those who find themselves in the same situation," he says.
"The country has been brought to its knees by the floods and recovery is very slow. Adding to the misery and lack of livelihood is now the public health emergency with the spread of dengue fever, malaria and other infectious diseases", said Fr. Parvez.
In response to the current emergency situation and, in cooperation with Caritas Pakistan, to provide 4,500 affected families for three months in order to improve their living conditions through shelter and food. It is also expected to provide health care to 10,000 people and educational opportunities for over 300 children.
In recent days, the Turkish Red Crescent has also sent another 84.2 tons of humanitarian aid to Pakistan to help those affected by the disaster.
The United Nations has published an appeal for donations increasing the amount needed from US$160 million to US$816 million to enable humanitarian organizations and the Government of Pakistan to provide more comprehensive assistance to families in need.
During a recent visit to Pakistan, the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, also announced that Europe would provide a total of 30 million euros to Pakistan, to meet urgent needs such as housing, water, sanitation, health, food and nutrition, education services in particular in the provinces of Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and the North West Frontier Province. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 27/10/2022)

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