Pakistan is currently facing the worst ever flooding in its history. It has affected 13.8 million people across the country, destroying 650,000 houses and claiming over 1500 lives.

AMURTEL is partnering with the Behbud Association of Pakistan, to deliver life saving resources to people in the flood affected areas.  Please donate now via the donations page, or send a check made out to AMURTEL to PO Box 232, Warren, VT 05674, USA.  Please specify, Pakistan Relief, with your donation.  Your help is urgently needed!

The Behbud Association of Pakistan sent a team with relief goods consisting of dry rations, medicines and clothes to Nowshehra. The team was overwhelmed by the extent of the destruction. The city is not recognizable as it is completely submerged in water. Some tall buildings are the only indication that this area had once been inhabited. There are no dry places where people can put up tents. They have been forced to take refuge along the motorway which is extremely dangerous for the young children. Where the water has receded it has left behind slush and mud which is six feet deep making it impossible to move around in or do anything. All means of livelihood have been destroyed including crops, livestock, trees, shops etc. Sources of clean drinking water have been contaminated because the flood water is mixed with sewage and dead animals are floating in it. Stomach infections and skin ailments are already common and there is a danger of other diseases assuming epidemic proportions.

The extent of the destruction is huge and the aid that has so far arrived is minimal. The Behbud Association of Pakistan is planning to continue providing relief to the affected population of Nowshehra and Charsadda, two of the worst affected areas in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.  Behbud teams will be taking dry rations, medicines, water coolers, clothes and shoes to help these people to survive this disaster. AMURTEL and The Behbud Association hope to start rehabilitation programs in these regions soon.

AMURT team during recovery assessment	AMURTEL medical staff provide urgent care

www.mrvtv.com: interview with Joni Zweig

AMURT & AMURTEL in operation GIVE YOUR HEART TO HAITI continues the work on the ground in Port Au Prince by offering soup kitchens, distributing family size dry rations, emergency medical clinics and community based capacity building.

Community Based Food Distribution

When the earthquake struck Haiti, AMURT & AMURTEL Haiti’s seasoned team were on the ground in Port-Au-Prince ready to deliver an immediate response, by applying its community-based Emergency Management Response Plan. The first steps involved the facilitation of transferring food, medical services, water, and non-food items from the large aid agencies into the hands of smaller community-based groups who are best positioned to effectively coordinate distribution. AMURT is facilitating inclusive and participatory community forums to structure the distribution themselves while enhancing their capacity. This reduces the inevitable gaps in communication and coordination inherent in large-scale disaster response, and prepares the ground for future sustainable community development.

Mobile Clinics in Isolated Slums

The initial intervention targeted those most heavily impacted by the earthquake, assisting residents in the isolated slum areas of Boudon, Cite O’Kay and Cite Jereme by providing transport of wounded and supplies to hospitals. In the community of Delmas AMURT Haiti has working with our community-based partners providing logistical support, transport of medicine and patients, and coordination of medical volunteers, while in Boudan, our sister organization AMURTEL has been providing daily mobile clinics .

Long-Term Commitment to Grassroots Empowerment

AMURT will continue to align both its immediate and long-term response with the human rights-based framework of community empowerment, self-determination, and leadership capacity building. AMURT & AMURTEL have more than two decades of experience with relief work in Haiti, and have facilitated many ongoing development projects there. AMURTEL particularly focuses on meeting the special needs of women and children in disasters. The teams are responding to this calamity as rapidly and effectively as possible, and will remain far after the triage and immediate relief has been completed.

For a better understanding of this approach, please view our past and current community-based projects at our website, www.amurthaiti.org.

AMURTEL volunteers blogging from Haiti: www.amurtelhaiti.livejournal.com

Donate to the Haiti earthquake relief effort >>

or send a check made out to AMURTEL to PO Box 232, Warren, VT 05674, USA

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AMURTEL Volunteer Response in Haiti

AMURTEL is mobilizing a volunteer response to the recent earthquake in Port au Prince, Haiti.  We have identified our current volunteer needs including doctors, nurses, engineers, child psychologists and emergency response specialists.  All volunteers must be flexible, comfortable working independently and adaptable to difficult conditions.  If you are interested in learning more about how you can help, Contact us.  Please include a short description of yourself, your skills/training and your experience.  Thank you for your continued support of AMURTEL in Haiti.