Pakistan (MNN) — Months after catastrophic flooding in Pakistan, many villages remain underwater.
Ten million children need lifesaving support, according to UNICEF. The flooding damaged 2 million homes and killed thousands.
Pakistan’s foreign minister appealed for international funds ahead of a donor gathering in Geneva. The U.N. has warned that funding for flood victims will run out on January 15. In October, they requested $816 million in aid for the flooding. Only a third of that money has come in.
Nehemiah with FMI says, “Between 8 million and 9 million have been pushed below the poverty line by the floods. The monsoon washed away vast tracts of crops, with many already impoverished families losing their livelihoods.”
“Some homes remain submerged, leaving families living on elevated roads or in displacement camps.”
In this vulnerable situation, many children have been forced into labor or marriage.
Not much help is coming from the Pakistani government. International banks say the country is nearing an economic meltdown. Over half the population already lives under the poverty line, Nehemiah says.
How to pray
Many FMI partners work in the area. Nehemiah says, “Our brothers and sisters working on the ground are also facing harsh situations right now in Pakistan. I would love our readers to please pray for our partners trying to reach out to their congregations.”
Pray also that survivors of the flood would get the aid they need as winter sets in.
The header photo shows a Pakistani village submerged by flooding. (Photo courtesy of Ali Hyder Junejo, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
