Worst ever natural disaster demands efforts of historical proportions

Man and his child in the floods.
© REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro(12.08.2010) The flooding in Pakistan is confronting all those providing aid with a challenge of an unprecedented scale. Never before have so many people been affected by a natural disaster. Welthungerhilfe therefore welcomes the United Nations wide-ranging appeal for donations.

“I agree with the UN Secretary General that the aid in Pakistan is an historic task which we can only carry out jointly. We can't leave the people who have been affected to cope with this situation on their own. Pakistan has in the past already been severely affected by the terrible earthquake and the political instability in many areas of the country. The consequences of this once in a hundred year flooding will therefore be felt for a long time to come" stresses Welthungerhilfe's deputy chairperson, Prof. Klaus Töpfer.

Welthungerhilfe is urgently appealing to the German people for further donations for the flood victims in Pakistan. "The people of Pakistan are not responsible for the fact that they live in a difficult political environment. They need our help more urgently than ever before. Due to the history of its founding that is closely bound up with the United Nations, Welthungerhilfe feels itself under an especial obligation to help the country in this historical situation. Because we have worked alongside local partners in Pakistan for many years, we are able to provide help where it is most needed", says Töpfer.

Welthungerhilfe is concentrating on the Swat Valley, which has been particularly severely affected, as well as other districts in the North of Pakistan. Thousands of people in these areas have already been provided with food, drinking water, hygiene packs and blankets.