When disaster strikes: Floods in Pakistan
It’s a September morning. You wake up on the floor of the gymnasiumin the local high school. Your dad went back to save some of your family’s belongings, so this morning, he isn’t there. Instead, you’re sharing this space with hundreds of people from surrounding villages. Some faces look familiar, but no one has much in the way of belongings. Hungrily, you walk down the main hallway to the cafeteria. Instead of fries and sandwiches, you pick up your family’s rations of clean water, soap and food, mostly high-energy biscuits for your two-year-old brother. From there, it’s time to take your youngest siblings to the nurse. They must have ingested some contaminated water because they are now sick with diarrhea and in need of oral rehydration salts. The nurse informs you that they will be vaccinated against polio and measles as a precaution. Only now can you think
about going to class. Instead of walking down the hallway and grabbing a seat in a classroom, you walk out the door and into one of UNICEF’s child-friendly school tents. You, and 150 other children, will continue your education in this tent until the floodwaters recede and reconstruction of your school can begin.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IN YOUR SCHOOL?
When humanitarian emergencies happen in other countries, what can we do in our own country, city or community that can help the people who have been affected by the disaster? Talk with your classmates to see if you can come up with a creative way to fundraise for money to assist the people of Pakistan. For example, you could have a movie night, organize a school dance or invite a speaker to visit your school. Here’s an idea of what donated funds can do:
$100 can provide a basic family water kit for 10 households, with detergent, soap, wash basin,towels, bucket and water purification tablets.
$500 can provide 16 emergency first aid kits, helping to provide crucial medicine andequipment for communities devastated by disaster.
$ 1,000 can provide one water pump and 22 water sanitation kits to help provide access toclean, safe water to a community in need.
Check out: http://www.unicef.ca/portal/SmartDefault.aspx?at=2603 for more details.
