Diane Johnson outside a school in Mardan, Pakistan earlier this week. (Photo: Manzoor Hussain/Mercy Corps)
May 15, 2009
Islamabad, Pakistan
Dear friends,
The situation on the ground is getting worse by the minute. Nearly 1 million people have fled the fighting between the Army and Taliban militants in the last two weeks. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees yesterday said "a massive international aid effort" is needed — now.
Mercy Corps is already helping families uprooted by violence. And your support can help us do more.
In the past few days, our 11-person response team has distributed more than 800 emergency supply kits to families sheltered in schools. These bags of blankets, soap, mosquito nets and other necessities were the first relief items received by these families, most of whom left their homes carrying only the clothes on their backs.
Today, waves of arrivals are overwhelming settlements that have sprung up in stadiums, flour mills, parks and other sites. Sanitation is poor. Health problems are on the rise. And temperatures are climbing, regularly exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Your gift to Mercy Corps will help us respond to humanitarian needs in Pakistan and around the world.
On behalf of the families we're helping here in Pakistan, thank you.
Diane Johnson
Regional Program Director, South Asia