Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell today confirmed that the UK will help 200,000 children return to education in Pakistan, by repairing 1,500 schools damaged by the recent floods and providing 200 temporary facilities for children whose schools have been destroyed across Sindh and the Punjab.
Nearly five months since the floods first hit Pakistan, and with winter bringing near freezing temperatures at night, the UK has today also announced shelter for 25,000 people; basic health care for more than half a
million people over the next six months; and support to help around one million people in rural areas to earn a living by providing jobs, skills training, and farming tools, seeds, animals so families can restart farming.
Andrew Mitchell said:
"It is nearly five months since the devastating floods first hit Pakistan.The situation in the south is still critical with millions still without adequate shelter, while people in areas where water has receded have returned to what's left of their homes to try to start rebuilding their lives."That's why today I've announced help for 25,000 people to build more permanent homes, support for one million people to start earning a living
again, and health care for half a million people to try to avoid a crisis like the one in Haiti."And with the school year well underway, it's vital we get children back to school, which is why we're helping to get some 200,000 girls and boys back in to education."
An estimated five million school aged children are affected by the floods in Pakistan, with more than 10,000 schools damaged or destroyed. Hundreds more are still being used as temporary housing in the south of Pakistan.
With half the adult population illiterate, and only 57% children enrolled in primary school before the floods hit, getting as many children as possible back in to education is critical for Pakistan to become the prosperous, stable country it has the potential to be.Brothers Faisal (left, 6 yrs) and Amir (right, 7 yrs) below at their recently rehabilitated primary school in Doaba Hans village, Muzaffargarh, Sindh.
Their school was under water for more than a month during the flood, and ha just been rehabilitated by Save the Children, who reinstalled electrics,toilets, safe drinking water, as well as repairing, cleaning, and repainting the building. Some 10,000 other schools have been damaged or destroyed in the floods, which is why the UK Government is putting £10 million into projects by Save the Children, Plan International, and Hands to repair 1,500 schools and provide 200 temporary facilities where schools have been destroyed.
Faisal said: "Our school was closed for one and a half months. Water was above the window ledge. My brother and I rushed home to our mother and father, and we all had to move away to a safer area for two months, where we stayed with relatives and other people. Some of our friends went to stay in camps, and lived in tents. The school is better now than it was before."
Their newly rehabilitated school:Today's announcement comes out of the £134 million previously committed by Andrew Mitchel on 20 September 2010:
The devastating floods in Pakistan have affected 20 million people, and nearly two million homes; 10,000 schools; hundreds of bridges, roads,electricity pylons; and more than two million hectares of crops have been destroyed or damaged, as well as one million farm animals and six million poultry lost.The UK was one of the first countries to respond to this crisis and has helped millions of people affected by the floods by providing shelter, food,seeds, blankets, safe drinking water and containers, toilets, medical care, hygiene kit, and other items.A summary of the UK Government's contributions to date can be viewed here:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/News-Stories/2010/Floods-in-Pakistan/
Media enquiries
* In the UK, contact DFID press office on + 44 (0) 20 7023 0600 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting + 44 (0) 20 7023 0600 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
* In Pakistan, contact DFID-Pakistan media team on + 92 (0) 51 201 2536 / 2516.
* Photography is available from:
Notes to Editors
* The Department for International Development (DFID) is the UK's
Government department responsible for promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty. The central focus of DFID is a commitment to achieve the nternationally agreed Millennium Development Goals by 2015.* The Pakistan floods disaster has triggered the UK Government's biggest ever response to a humanitarian emergency with £134 million (18 billion rupees) committed, while the UK public has donated a further £ million (more than 8.5 billion rupees) through the Disasters Emergency
Committee (DEC) appeal.* The Disasters Emergency Committee is an umbrella organisation for
13 UK-registered humanitarian aid agencies. Further details here:
http://www.dec.org.uk/index.html
* A summary of the UK Government's contributions to help people affected by the floods in Pakistan can be viewed here:
* People can track where and how UK aid is helping the survivors of floods in Pakistan here: www.dfid.gov.uk/pakistanfloodsmonitor2010
Today's announcement
* DFID's school recovery programme in Sindh and Punjab comes to the value of £10million and is being implemented by Save the Children, Plan International, and Hands.* The UK Government's support to agricultural livelihoods and the wider rural economy is through the Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies at a total cost of £20 million.
* Support for 25,000 people in Sindh to build more permanent homes destroyed in the floods, is via a £1.8 million grant to UNHABITAT.
* Support to maintain a disease early warning system and provision of essential health services to over 500,000 people in the areas worst affected by the floods for the next six months is through a contribution of £2 million to the World Health Organisation's most recent appeal.
DFID, the Department for International Development: leading the UK
Government's fight against world poverty. Find out more at
No comments:
Post a Comment