Five Ways You Can Help Pakistan (and the Rest of Us)

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Five Ways You Can Help Pakistan (and the Rest of Us)

YES! Magazine Yobo Member
September 2nd, 2010

Credit: Oxfam International

by Sarah van Gelder

As the world comes to terms with the mind-boggling scale of the tragedy in Pakistan, many Americans are asking what we can do to aid the flood victims.

Some may hesitate to contribute to flood relief because we associate Pakistan with qualities we don’t admire—nuclear proliferation, religious fundamentalism, the oppression of women, and a corrupt and powerful military. But the people of Pakistan are more likely to be the victims than the perpetrators of these problems, and above all else, they are fellow human beings in dire need.

So how can we distance ourselves from the qualities we don’t like while offering solidarity to the people of Pakistan?

Support Independent Pakistan-based Relief Efforts

Independent, Pakistan-based charities are struggling to get the resources to help their fellow citizens. These groups offer a much-needed alternative to the fundamentalist groups seeking to increase their influence, to the military, and to international groups without a base in Pakistan. One of the most effective of these independent groups, according to Grassroots International, is the Abdul Sattar Edhi Foundation. This foundation has networks across Pakistan, a long history in the country, and a top-notch reputation for effectiveness. You can contribute by sending a check to their U.S. office, noting that your donation is for “flood relief”:

The Edhi Foundation
42-07 National Street
Corona, New York 11368

Support Women

Women are the most vulnerable part of the population, and the progress of women is key to the progress of the country. Aid to women helps with the immediate crisis, helps alleviate poverty for the whole family, empowers women—just 3 percent of whom are literate—and lays the foundation for greater freedom and autonomy.

The U.S. based Global Fund for Women is working with women’s groups on the ground in Pakistan. The fund can be counted on to support groups that are part of Pakistani culture and that have a long-standing reputation for effectiveness. You can make a tax-deductible donation to Global Fund for Women on their secure server here.

Contributing money is a critical and immediate way to help. But there are also key policies that will help Pakistan both with immediate needs and with the long period of recovery ahead.

Call for Debt Relief

Pakistan will need to devote its resources to relief and recovery for months and years to come. The Jubilee Network is calling for aid for flood relief to be made in the form of grants rather than loans. The Network—which is comprised of religious, human rights, and development groups—is also calling for a moratorium on debt repayments and for eventual debt cancellation. The U.S. government has a key role to play in this, so your voice on this issue matters.

Convert Military Aid to Humanitarian Aid

Pakistan is among the top recipients of U.S. military aid, receiving nearly twice as much for the military as it receives in economic aid. Now is the time to reverse the priority. A major U.S. relief effort would be a powerful statement of solidarity with the Pakistani people, demonstrating to them that the American people care about more than counteracting terrorism … and real solidarity would be a more effective strike against terrorism than missiles and drone attacks. American religious groups, peace organizations, human rights groups, and ordinary citizens can call for the conversion of military aid to aid that can alleviate human suffering and support rebuilding.

Confront the Climate Change Disaster

The Pakistan flood is just one of a growing number of humanitarian and ecological crises related to a heating planet. The disruption in rainfall patterns caused by climate change leads to food disasters and hunger. Megastorms, fed by rising ocean temperatures, mean larger and more destructive storms and flooding. Disappearing glaciers and exhausted rivers and aquifers mean water shortages. We should be prepared to respond to humanitarian crises around the world, and when possible, help people return home so they don’t become climate refugees.

But even more important is prevention. Around the world we must restore the natural systems that buffer storms and preserve water—like wetlands that release water slowly and reduce flooding, coastal marshes that offer protection from storm surges, and healthy forests that avert landslides and flooding. We should support efforts at local resilience—growing food for local consumption and buildings that can protect from storms and heat waves.

At the same time, we must get serious about reducing the emissions that are disrupting the climate stability our civilizations depend on. We can’t allow oil company-financed climate deniers to continue driving the climate debate. Any further dithering is irresponsible and potentially catastrophic. Along with responding to the disasters caused by a heating planet, we simply must do everything we can to address the causes of the climate crisis.

Sarah van Gelder, wrote this article for YES! Magazine, an independent media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions for a just and sustainable world.

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14 Responses to “Five Ways You Can Help Pakistan (and the Rest of Us)”

Brad says:

September 2, 2010 at 9:46 am

Dear Sarah,

Pakistan is the 7th declared nuclear power. They manufacture battle tanks (Al Khalid) recently they joined select group of countries that manufacture fighter aircrafts (JF 17 Thunder). They have a standing army of 500,000 and paramilitary of around the same number. They pursure taliban and other jihadi groups in order to acheive strategic depth in Afganistan. They posses german & french made submarines, airplanes, war ships and North Korean / Chinese procured ballastic missles. In short if they reduce their military budget relative to their economic size they need not beg the world for AID.

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- Eduardo says:
  
  September 2, 2010 at 11:48 am
  
  That may be true, but should the people who live there have to suffer in the meantime? I guess I don’t know for sure, but my gut tells me that the families affected most by the flooding are much more interested in food, clean water, and shelter than how many tanks their government manufactures.
  
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Jack says:

September 2, 2010 at 10:08 am

Agree with # 4. As the price for all the others, perhaps they could also give their nukes and their expensive military toys. Otherwise, we end up financing their social programs and they end up with subs, missiles and nukes. The Pakistani state must put its people first not its army.

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- Archie says:
  
  September 2, 2010 at 12:48 pm
  
  In Pakistan the Army owns the owns the country and it is not the country or the people who the army.
  Therefore the state is a tool of the Pakistan Army to achieve the army objectives.
  
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Imran says:

September 2, 2010 at 1:03 pm

Most of the Americans have been fed a lot of propaganda against Pakistan as American interests are in conflict with Pakistan, as America is essentially occupying Pakistan’s neighbour. I was actually quite surprised by Sarah being able to see through the propaganda. You can see more about this issue at

http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/selfish-case-helping-others

I would urge you to only give to Pakistan in case you are moved as a human. Otherwise Pakistanis have borne far worse and will bear this as well with grace.

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Noah says:

September 2, 2010 at 4:57 pm

What is this self imposed obligation to help Pakistan? The world doesn’t owe Pakistan or its people any favours. Lesser countries have dealt with such natural calamities with more dignity than Pakistan in the past. I didn’t hear Haiti refusing or putting preconditions on any aid being given to them. Pakistan on the other hand wants everyone to help but won’t change its ways for its people.
What is with this help-us-or-the-world-will-end attitude?

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- Tigerstyle says:
  
  September 2, 2010 at 7:34 pm
  
  “What is this self imposed obligation to help Pakistan?”
  
  No one is obligated to do anything. The article is called “Five Ways You Can Help Pakistan.” Some people are interested in helping and some people (clearly) are not. And that’s fine. To each his own. For those of us who might want to help, it’s nice to have some suggestions for resources. For those people who aren’t interested, I don’t think there’s any need for them to disparage those who do want to lend a hand. There isn’t anything in this article that suggests that the author looks down on those who don’t want to help, so there’s no need to get defensive.
  
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  - Noah says:
    
    September 2, 2010 at 9:07 pm
    
    To the bleeding hearts who (clearly) want to help:
    
    Look beyond the visuals of flood ravaged countryside in Pakistan. Your ‘help’ has more chance of paying for Poor Mr. Ten Percent’s Chateau remodelling or a shiny new F-16 for the Pakistani Airforce which they will use to hunt down their own people (or will they).
    There’s more to it than just texting $10. There’s a lot of unintended consequences especially when it comes to dealing with a country like Pakistan. Who can guarantee that these billions of dollars aren’t going to come back to our shores as an attack that was planned in Pakistan with the blessings of the Army.
    If you can’t then I want to be very careful with every cent that I give out to these people (many of whom btw also happen to hate me since I am a non-believer)
    I am sure there are people out there, decent people, in need. But I am more certain the ‘resources’ being peddled in this article cannot guarantee that my help will reach those people.
    So don’t give me the help-but-only-if-you-want-to bit. Your help may end up doing more harm to you and me than you think.
    
    Reply
    - Tigerstyle says:
      
      September 3, 2010 at 6:07 am
      
      Noah,
      
      I understand your concerns and obviously you and I look at the situation differently. Of course it’s about more than sending a $10 text. The whole point of this article is finding ways to get beyond the traditional giving methods that carry the potential to cause harm in addition to the good they create. Personally, I think there are some great suggestions in here. So, if I choose to support a fund that works to help empower women in Pakistan, I’m going to assume that my ten bucks isn’t going toward paying for a tank.
      
      Reply
Noah says:

September 2, 2010 at 5:19 pm

#3 – Eventual debt cancellation? Who will pay for that? Hardworking taxpayers from donor countries? Just look at the tax collection figures in Pakistan and you will understand.
And how much of this aid will actually go to the people who really need it. Why should the world part with their monies in these economic conditions if the Pakistani Army is more interested in spending on weapons and their President (mr ten percent) wants to enjoy his chateau in France!
If the Pakistani Army and Government are living beyond their means, why does the world have to foot the bill?
Why is helping Pakistan a burden on the world’s conscience?

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Noah says:

September 2, 2010 at 5:46 pm

Its interesting to note how the Pakistani propaganda machine has recruited the western media for their begathon this time.
Pictures of malnourished farmers and their families, driven from homes, wading through waters are quite compelling. They need help no doubt.
But where’s the money the IMF gave them a couple of years ago when their economy was in the pooper. Or the money that the world gave in 2005 after the earthquake. Wasn’t that supposed to be spent on these people who are now in waist deep waters.
Isnt the world entitled to some level of accountability for this.
Typical Pakistani response to this would be that all of that was spent on fighting the “war on terror” for the west.
Excuse me, but isn’t Pakistan the reason we have a “war on terror” in the first place? Where are the who’s who of world terrorist found?
Its easy to write a piece like this on your iPad while sipping a $4 latte. But would the authoress care to get an answer to some of these questions as well?

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- sandy says:
  
  September 3, 2010 at 12:32 pm
  
  “Authoress”? Never heard that one before. Pretty sure “author” is gender neutral.
  
  Reply
Moin Ansari says:

September 17, 2010 at 8:23 am

Sarah van Gelder:

Thank You. May God Bless you for putting together a well thought out message of mercy. Americans are magnanimous and open-hearted people.

Some of the commentators are just looking for excuses to vent their bigoted racist views. I suspect many are Indians lurking as Americans–who bring their baggage from the land of dirty Ganges to pollute our land. Even animals help each other in time of need. It takes a special type of animal to seek political ends during a calamity.

Pakistanis have a right to defend themselves against India which wants to destroy it.

Aid for Pakistan is exaggerated. US aid for Pakistan is only 3% of the budget. According to a recent report 92% of that “aid” is used by US NGOs which use US consultatns. 25% of the aid is used in US admin expenses.

No one asked the same questions of Haiti, Lanka or other areas devasted by natural calamities. Surely Haiti has a lot of Human Right issues.

India is one of the largest recipient of aid in the world. Bharat is the largest recipient of aid from the UK. Japan is Bharat’s biggest donor. Bharat is one of the largest debtor nations on the planet with debt totally $250 Billion to $3 Trillion (public and private debt). Bharat has had a growth rate of 3%–derisively called the Hindu growth rate for fifty of the past sixty years—the last decade being an anomaly (rising tide lifts all boats).

Sarah–keep up the good work. Don’t be discouraged by the detractors who will find any or all reasons not to help fellow human beings. I just returned from Pakistan.

The entire nation is busy helping each other. Edhi is doing a great job. But there are millions of unsung heroes. Student and old people, women and girls all are collecting goods and money. All cities are galvanized. Every street corner looks like a Red Cross depot with people busy collecting things. The needs are enormous and the government is doing the best it can.

In the aftermath of the flood of Biblical proportions, Newsweek this week redefined Pakistan “AS THE BRAVEST NATION ON EARTH”.

Pakistanis certainly are the most resilient ones on this planet.

Editor Rupee News
http://www.rupeenews.com

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Noah says:

September 21, 2010 at 3:21 pm

Moin:

Just because I want to be careful about my tax dollars being given to Pakistan, doesn’t make me an Indian.

You seem like you want to turn this into a pissing contest between Pakistan and India. Fine, so lets talk about that. It appears that the Indian government has offered 25 million dollars for the flood relief which Pakistan first shamelessly refused and then ended up accepting with conditions.

India offering 25 mil hardly seems like something an enemy who is hell bent on destroying you, would do. On the other hand, Pakistan refusing the aid or putting pre-conditions on it, hardly seems like something a flood ravaged nation desperately in need would do.

It is comical that you chose to compare Pakistan with nations like Haiti and Srilanka. I guess you don’t see any difference there. Atleast there are no state sponsored terror training camps in either of these countries where religious fanatics are plotting the destruction of western civilization. Also, these countries don’t go begging around the world with a gun to their heads.

Drawing needless attention to India’s or any other country’s problems isn’t going to help. You and your government need to reassure your donors that the money will be spent for its intended purposes.

Truly brave and resilient nations don’t have to boast about it. Nor do they need such endorsements from two bit magazines. It is in crises such as these, that a nations true character is revealed.

So whats it going to be Moin?
Honest introspection OR
hollow claims of Pakistan/Pakistanis being bravest/tallest/fairest while deriding India and the rest of the world as your country burns and drowns at the same time?

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