ASIA/PAKISTAN – Bringing God’s merciful love and alleviating the suffering of the victims affected by the monsoon floods

ASIA/PAKISTAN: Bringing God’s mercyful love to the suffering of those affected by the monsoon floodings

Saturday, 8 Oct 2022

Faisalabad, (Agenzia Fides). The Pakistani government has declared 66 areas of the country as calamities. These were submerged in the monsoon floods that occurred at the end of August 2022. More than 33 million people have been affected by these calamities. There are currently 31 districts in Balochistan and 23 in Sindh. 9 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 9 in Punjab and 9 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But the situation is changing rapidly and the number will likely increase if there is more rain.
The Lay Camillian Family in Pakistan (LCF), as well as the Camillians in Pakistan, have quickly responded to this serious humanitarian emergency by providing immediate assistance to flood victims in the Faisalabad and Hyderabad dioceses (see Fides on 6/9/2022).
Fr. Aris Miranda, MI Executive Director of Camillian Disaster Service International, (Cadis). “A more sustained and incisive response was therefore needed. Our project’s overall goal is to show God’s mercy and alleviate suffering. The specific goals include providing food, mosquito nets and blankets as well as medicines and treatment for injuries and other illnesses at an individual level. The project will also distribute 4,500 relief packages, sufficient to provide a month’s supply to families. The intervention area will be focused on the parish of St. Francis in Nawabshah, which has 220 283 residents in 2022. It will help 33,000 people.
The Tzu Chi Buddhist Charity Foundation, a partner of CADIS in other projects (see Fides 4/5/2022), will finance the intervention. Partners of the project are the Diocese of Hyderabad and the Camillians. This partnership will allow for important results for the population affected. Local partners include the parish priest and catechists, the Youth Group of St. Francis and the Daughters of the Holy Cross. Pakistan is a country where it is difficult to belong to a different faith from the majority. Different religious traditions are discriminated against. They not only lose their material possessions but also experience mental and emotional agony. They need special attention to their psychospiritual well being and material help.
Climate change is a constant consequence. Floods are a natural consequence. They not only threaten lives, livelihoods, and property but also devastate the economy. Since July 2022, Pakistan has seen more than 60% of the average monsoon precipitation in three weeks. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 8/10/2022)

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