Flood Fundraising by Minhaj & Samiah

The recent flooding in Pakistan has engulfed, by conservative estimates, over 20% of the country's land mass and has left over 20 million people homeless across all 4 provinces. The death toll, already underestimated by media reports, is sure to rise as famine and disease run their course. Conversations with a relief organization on the ground suggest that infant and newborn mortality rates are rapidly rising with the latter potentially reaching 50% in the next few months. In addition to the havoc already wreaked, heavy damage to local infrastructure and agricultural lands will have serious consequences in the long run. Estimates suggest that the long term economic impact to Pakistan will be over $40 billion (vs. a country-wide nominal GDP of approximately $180 billion). The greater impact, that of death and lives forever changed, cannot be quantified.

Mercy Corps is a US-based organization focused on disaster relief across the globe. The group has annual disbursements of over $200 million annually and has been active in 40 countries since its founding in 1979. Mercy Corps does not have any religious affiliations and is conducting its efforts independent of the Pakistani government. Low administrative costs have resulted in historical donation flow-through rates of approximately 90%. The organization has experience operating within Pakistan and was active during the 2005 earthquake and the rehabilitation efforts that have followed.

Samiah and I have been supporters of Mercy Corps for several years. We have been impressed by the structure of its organization, the quality of its people and the group's rapid, focused response efforts during multiple crises. We encourage you to learn more about the organization at http://www.mercycorps.org/whoweare

It is our belief that the efforts of independent, international organizations such as Mercy Corps as well as those of numerous Pakistani non-governmental organizations are what will matter as people rebuild out of this disaster. Government efforts are assumed to be somewhere between unreliable and non-existent.

Mercy Corps currently has staff on the ground working to provide clean water to tens of thousands of people, and staple foods and clean-up tools to hundreds of affected families. Please support their ongoing efforts through a donation and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions. Thank you for your generosity.

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