Urgent action needed to save women and girls. Floods threaten lives of over 100,000 pregnant women and girls
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This direct 'People to People' approach complements the work of larger organizations and ensures absolute transparency over the use of the donated money and effectiveness of the aid. Gender Concerns International has also this experience after the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005.
Laan van Meerdervoort 70 2517 AN, The Hague,
Urgent action needed to save women and girls
Floods threaten lives of over 100,000 pregnant women
and girls
Gender Concerns International is alarmed at the apparent neglect of the needs of women and girls affected by the floods in Pakistan, and the potential long-term implications.
UN estimates suggest around 90,000 pregnant flood-affected women will give birth over the next six months, with many health care facilities destroyed and reports that thousands of village-based Women’s Health Workers are flood victims. Equally concerning is the figure of 30,000 women and girls who are at risk of dying during the same six month period. They are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and the effects of poor hygiene, and are more susceptible to disease than many male victims.
Gender Concerns International’s People to People campaign is supporting specific relief action for women and children in Pakistan. “We urge the Dutch people to contribute to appeals such as People to People which take a specific gender perspective. This is one way of supporting longer-term emancipation for women and girls in Pakistan” said Sabra Bano, Director of Gender Concerns International.
Yesterday Ms Bano wrote to each of the Directors of the ten member organizations of the SHO (Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties) which comprise the Giro 555 emergency appeal for Pakistan. She expressed her appreciation of their efforts in launching the appeal, and asked them to ensure an urgent shift of emphasis onto gender issues to address the needs of women and children more effectively.
Many millions of people in Pakistan have become victims of this enormous catastrophe, including children, older people, men and women. It is this latter group that has been particularly hard hit by the tragedy. In a country where equality for women is by no means guaranteed, nature itself has now put them in a position of even greater disadvantage. Sabra Bano, Director of Gender Concerns International, just returned from Pakistan, commented: "especially for women, the elderly and children, it is terribly difficult to find basic necessities."
In order to offer effective local help in Pakistan, Gender Concerns International launched its People to People campaign. Building on existing contacts and its extensive local networks, it aims to provide direct help to women and their families. Key partner organizations are the national Aurat Foundation, Paiman Trust (Fata and Khyber Pashtunkhwa regions) and HOPE (Azad Kashmir).
This direct 'People to People' approach complements the work of larger organizations and ensures absolute transparency over the use of the donated money and effectiveness of the aid. Gender Concerns International has also this experience after the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005.
The public can support the People to People initiative by donating money to the People to People Giro account (Giro 15 83 698), offering ideas for a People to People Fundraising Activity or joining the Fundraising and Monitoring Committee.
End of the press release
NOTES FOR EDITOR
Figures on pregnant women and girls affected by the floods are from our partner organization Aurat Foundation, a national non-profit women's rights organization working for women's empowerment and development in Pakistan. www.af.org.pk/motherland
Gender Concerns International is an international development organization focusing on gender equality.
For more information contact the Director, Sabra Bano via sbano@genderconcerns.org
Gender Concerns International
Telefone 070- 4445082 Mobile: 06 53965784
Laan van Meerdervoort 70 2517 AN, The Hague,