Pakistan (MNN) — About 40,000 more Pakistanis are
leaving their homes in South Waziristan as Pakistan's military prepares to
launch a new offensive against the Taliban, Reuters reports. They join over 2 million other people who
have fled the violence since May.
The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee is providing
$500,000 of food aid for the refugees through the Canadian Foodgrains
Bank. It will deliver 708 metric tons
of lentils, oil, fortified wheat flour, sugar, iodized salt, and chili powder to
internally displaced person (IDP) camps in the Swabi district of North West
Frontier Province, Pakistan.
Two thousand families, or about 14,000 people, live in the
camps. CRWRC will give first priority to
widows with children and to families who have lost loved ones.
CRWRC received a testimonial from Muhammad Akber Khan.
"I am a senior citizen and the
oldest person in my family," he said. "The
continuous shelling compelled us to leave our native town and home. We left
everything back home as we were given only 20-25 minutes to leave the town. All
that we could have carried were the clothes that we were wearing at the time of
migration. We want to go back to our homes as soon as possible as our lifetime
investment is there; moreover, we have to supervise our crops that were the
only sources of our livelihood. I am
grateful to the staff of I-LAP and CRWRC who shared their love and care through
giving."
CRWRC has already distributed
mosquito nets, sleeping mats, and water containers in the camps. Its International Disaster Response team responds to natural and man-made
disasters all over the world, bringing relief and aid to those
who need it most. It works in
cooperation with local and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
in order to respond quickly and effectively to the urgent needs of a community.
To support this relief project, click here
and select "Pakistan Refugees 2009" from the Disaster Category.
