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Church World Service Marks One-Month Anniversary of Pakistan Earthquake; Provides for Schooling and Women's Programs
Grief stricken man who survived the earthquake, now living in a tent village in Bisyan.
Photo: CWS Pakistan/Afghanistan
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NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD – Holding lamps and praying silently, hundreds gathered around Capitol Hill in Washington last week to remember those killed in the October 8 earthquake and to pledge support to the survivors. They quietly peeled off one layer of clothing to sympathize with hundreds of thousands of survivors braving the Himalayan winter without warm clothes. Similar vigils were held in more than 25 cities around the world to mark the one-month anniversary of the earthquake.
The Rev. John L. McCullough, Church World Service's Executive Director and CEO, arrived in Pakistan Friday to travel with Pakistan Country Director Marvin Parvez in a pastoral visit with staff and those affected by the disaster.
Church World Service (CWS) oversees a tent village in Bisyan, where a field team is building additional tents in advance of the approaching winter. In collaboration with UNICEF, CWS has started the groundwork for a much-needed school in the tent village; teachers are being interviewed and soon the school will be functional.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent have commented that the CWS tent village is one of the most organized, and are moving the most vulnerable children to this village, as it has the most facilities and protection for care of children.
UNICEF reports that at least 50 percent of the children in the quake-hit district of Battagram are suffering from malnutrition, with only a small portion of the total 368,000 population getting potable water. Respiratory infections and diarrhea are the major health problems here, while epidemics of tuberculosis and hepatitis among the adults are feared. Hundreds of pneumonia cases are already being treated.
According to CWS team assessments, organizations are currently working with children who have been affected by the earthquake, yet little work is being done for the women. A CWS psychosocial care program will now set its focus on women, as care and treatment of women will benefit the family as a whole.
To date, CWS, along with its partners, has distributed a total of 6,580 shelter kits (46,060 individuals assisted), with each of the shelter kits containing four blankets. And 3,884 food packages (27,188 individuals assisted) have been distributed in the areas of Battagram, Shangla, Mansehra, and Balakot.
Another 345 shelter kits and 145 food packages have been distributed by the CWS team in Mansehra. The team has also dispatched 171 tents to Shangla for distribution along with 510 mattresses. Twenty-five food packages and 25 mattresses have also been dispatched to Dadar Hospital in Mansehra.
Contributions to assist South Asia earthquake survivors may be sent to:
Church World Service
P.O. Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515.
Contributions may also be made online or by calling 800.297.1516, ext. 222.
Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;
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