Pakistan (MNN)–Pakistan’s earthquake relief efforts seem to have already faded off the front page with the advent of Hurricane Wilma and other natural disasters.
And yet, the day to day grind of surviving such devastation does not go away so quickly. Even now, there are reports surfacing that indicate without swift help, the death toll in Kashmir could double.
Many thousands are still susceptible to injuries, cold and hunger. Theirs is the plight of so many who have suffered calamity in recent days.
World Hope’s Joann Lyon says the trouble is keeping the focus on so many needs in the disaster zones.
This year has been especially challenging due to the number of tragedies ranging from a tsunami to multiple hurricanes. “With all the tragedies that have been happening, one right on top of the other, we forget the last one.”
As the world’s attention jerks from one issue to another, it is the survivors who fall through the cracks. “For example,” Lyon adds, “the Wilma Hurricane, we kind of have forgotten about Guatemala, we’ve forgotten about Pakistan–we’ve forgotten about all those. We tend to think it’s all fixed, in our minds but it isn’t. Sri Lanka and Indonesia are kind of far in our memories now.”
Lyon says their Pakistani partners were called to help in the quake zone because of their earlier work in Afghanistan.
The superintendent of police from the Mansehra District contacted Patrick Bahadur, Hope for Children Director in Pakistan, requesting assistance.
Lyon says, “This opened up the door to be able to share and they have to do it in ways that they know how to do in an appropriate way. Actually, it’s the love of Jesus in tangible form; they’ve been able to do that–they’re still working up there.”
If you’d like to help, contact World Hope using their information listed below.
