EGM Relief Projects

Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project for Flood Victims

2010-10-13T01:59:00.000-07:00

EGM Pakistan has decided to sponsor a village comprising at least 100 houses in Northern Areas for the rehabilitation of flood affected, whose houses have been washed away by the devastating flash floods.

The decision was made after a visit of EGM Pakistan delegation to some flood hit areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa , Punjab and Sindh Provinces. The construction of 100 Kacha houses will be carried out by EGM Pakistan Sponsors. The construction cost for one House is US 650 $ .

Thousands of flood affecters face an imminent threat to their lives, in case they are not urgently provided food, clean water and shelter. It is not possible for government to provide relief to all the highly vulnerable displaced persons as the magnitude of the tragedy is too big for its scant resources.The worst floods in the living memory of Pakistan have killed large number of persons and uprooted thousands of people.

We also appealed to all Sponsors to contribute donations generously to EGM Pakistan so that it could start construction of houses for displaced people as early as possible, and said that once the survival issue is resolved, the funds should be used for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the areas destroyed.

Flood Relief Projects

2010-09-15T02:14:00.000-07:00

Flood Relief Projects

We thankful for all of you that God gave you burden for my nation in this time , I want to share with you about our all relief projects . EGM Pakistan target 19 Villages of Sindh , NWFP and Punjab Provinces ,there are 1820 victims Families ( Muslims , Christian and Hindu).Its very difficult for us that we raised funds and resources and provide them basic needs . Firstly , we send a team for survey that what they immediate need, then we will go distributes relief package into victims .We are making relationship with key people, when they return home from camps and other areas, we build more strong relationship and share words of God with them. We have all their records and making files .

These are areas in which we are working for flood victims.

1Kusar Relief ( Near to Indian Border )

2 Nowshear Relief ( Near to Afghanistan Border )

3 Thatta Relief ( Lower side of South )

4 Kotri Relief                                           ( Lower Side of South )
5 Kusar and GandaSingh ( 2nd Trip )     ( Near to Indian Border )
6   Dadu , Badeen and ShahLatif                ( Lower side of South )
7    Peshawer and Ternab                             ( Near to Afghan Border )

Kusar Relief

In first round we gave relief to Kusar villages, there are five villages and 370 Victims families ( Target ).

We reached to two villages of Kusar ( Punjab ) near to Indian Border and there are 130 Christians victims families .we gave them basic food items and medical relief. Each family consisted on 5 to 7 members and mostly 3 to 5 are Children. This relief package for each family and for one month ( September ).

· 2 bag of floor ( 20kg each )

· 15 liters Milk

· 50 liters water

· 5 suites of Clothes

· 8 Kg Grains

· some fresh vegetables

Right Now , we are waiting for funds for other 200 families in Kusar .we request to you please support any 5 or 10 or 25 or 100 families .

Kusar and GandaSingh ( 2nd Trip )

I have shared with you about Flood Relief Projects in Kusar and GandaSingh and there are 370 families , In our first trip we distribute relief packages into 130 families and then second trip on 2nd October 2010 we distribute relief packages into 40 families . There are still 200 families who need warm clothes , beds and sheets , food items etc.Please pray for other 200 families of Kusar and GandaSingh .

We are going to Karachi city on 19th Oct and stay there six days there, we will distribute food items into Dadu , Shah Latif and Badeen .We will distribute 100 flood relief Packages into flood victims.

Nowshera Relief

Brother Karmat ,Yameen John , Asraf Masih and me visited Nowshera on 10^th to 11^th Sep 2010 for survey other needy families and also distribution of relief package to Children . EGM team had already given relief package to Ummay Tent Village for 28 families. There are 9 families are Muslims and 19 Families are Christians. Details of that package is below

Flour 20 kg

Rice 2 kg

Cooking oil 2 kg

Sugar 2 kg

Soap 2 bars

Laundry Soap 2 bar

Now there is no any more family for basic relief package but many need reconstruction & devolvement relief and many need water filters machines.

Kotri and Thatta Project

Safdar is a born-again believer with whom I’ve has a out- standing relationship over the months. He and a team of young men in his colony have been very active in sharing the Gospel over the years on a volunteer basis. I’ve provided the with Bibles and IBS Lessons and other resources besides training from time to time .

Kotri and Thatta has see a huge influx of IDP’s that has come in several waves , the most recent one being the flooding of Mehar , Khairpur , Nathan Shah and dadu areas . While quite a number of these IDP’s are getting help in Gov’t camps, many IDP’s are outside of camps where they do not have access to rations or shelter. We thankful for BHW who provide us resources for flood Victims and we distribute 100 Relief Package into Hindu , Muslims and Christian families . Most of families are living on besides the roads, they have not tents and food for their children .Rev.Manzoor Jalal,Sobal ,Safdar , team and me distribute food package into families .

Flour 20 Kg

Rice 5 Kg

Cooking Oil 5 Kg

Sugar 3 Kg

Tea 1/ 2 Kg

Grains 2 Kg

Milk 1 Kg

Some more food items in one Package. The cost of one package is US 40 $ and they survive with one package only one Month.

Dadu ,Badeen and ShahLatif Project

We thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ who gave us burden and resources for my nation . Right Now, we just back from Dadu , Badeen and Shahlatif cities of Province Sindh . These areas most affected by flood it become islands . There are all around water and no way to approached other cities and villages . Even still road are blocked and destroy with water and 4 feet water still stand in their houses , fields of crops , rice , wheat and cotton.Victims are using boats to go their houses and no way to buy food items and work other towns and villages.we ( Rev . Manzoor Jalal , Sobal and me ) traveled 14 hours from Lahore city to Mooro city by Dawoo city bus ,We take a van and move to Dadu City .Two hours we took rest and then purchased all food items, clothes for ( women , men and children ), crockery ( water cooler, plates , jug , spoon , glass and pans etc ) .The cost of one package is US 68 $ , we bought 120 packages.

Our Team already survey all areas and made a list for victims families, we move early in the morning , three hours travel to Badeen and Shah Latif from Dadu . There are 68 families in three places and distributed food items and crockery into them and saw their houses in the flood water . Flood Victims are very glad and thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ after received relief Package.Five hours spent in distribution and visiting their damaged and destroyed houses in flood water. Next trip was Dadu ( villages ) and Nau Goth areas ,there are no electricity . we distributed food items and clothes into 52 families . They also very thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and BHW and EGM Pakistan .

when we survey all areas and saw there are many flood victims families who need basic food and medicines . In these days a very dangerous fever of virus ( Dangee Fever ) are spreading in Punjab and Sindh Provinces. Many flood victims families suffering in this fever.157 people had died with this fever in Sindh and more than 3000 people affected in this fever. In Sindh province ,victims have not tents , food and pure water . we are planning to distribute Christmas Relief Package into 200 flood victims families on Christmas.we need your assistance, support and prayers for next trips and projects.

Noweshara and Jahngrea Relief Project

We thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ who provide us finances for Northern areas, God makes it possible to reach to unreach areas. Jahngera is small village of Nowshrea and part of N.W.F.P province. There not any Government or other Relief organization reach because of very small village. There are approximately 300 affected families and 50 are Christian

All organization reach in Noweshra , Peshawar and supporting flood victims , mostly victims’ families migrate from Jahngera to cities but Christians not leaved due to lack of resources and finances so they stay in their broken and damaged houses and in tents. Mr.Emmanuel Masih was working in Dawoo Bus service after three months fired by some Muslims due to decimations and terminated. Right Now , her daughter is working in Dawoo Bus services as bus hostess. She is one and only source of income, many families are facing same problems in Jahngera. Their children are educated and skilled with different kinds but not have job. Their houses are damaged and destroy with flood water, they are still waiting for relief for their houses.

I met with Mr.- Emmanuel in Nowshrea in my first trip , he requested to me for Christmas relief package for 50 families. Rev. Manzoor Jalal . Pastor Edward , Sobal , Arif and Sulman is team for relief in Jahngera. We leaved house from Lahore 5:00 AM and reached at Mr. Emmanuel house at 2:00 clock. We take lunch and purchased all food items for relief packages. Miss Hina makes a list of victims and take sign ( Thumb Sign ) with National Identity card . Rev . Manzoor , Arif and me distribute relief packages into victims’ families . They are very glad and thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are raising funds for rebuilding project which we are starting from January 2011.please pray for flood victims families and stand with us in prayers for this project.

Blessing

Your brother in His Love .

Edward Qaser

Christians Flood Relief Camp in Nowshera Pakistan

2010-09-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

Relief organisations 'discriminating against Christian flood victims

2010-09-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

Monday , 30th August :-

EGM Pakistan and other Christian organization released a notice to Government and other Relief organizations through press against discrimination in distributing relief to victims.Christians organisations organisations in Pakistan only 5% and they can not fulfillment all needs of Christians in Pakistan .

Christians and members of other minority religions are being treated as second-class citizens, said Father Mario Rodrigues, the Lahore-based director of Catholic Mission.

"They often receive little assistance or are excluded altogether," he told Fides, the Vatican's news agency.

Aid is being delivered by "government officials sympathetic to Islamic fundamentalism or by Muslim relief organisations", Fides claimed in its report, citing other unnamed aid workers.

About 200,000 Christians in Punjab province and about 600,000 Christians and Hindus in Sindh province have been affected by weeks of monsoon rain.

At least 2,600 people have been killed in the country's worst natural disaster, and on Friday, officials warned that the death toll was expected to rise significantly as many people remained missing.

Over the past two days, fresh floods from the surging river Indus smashed through levees in two places, forcing one million people from their homes.

However, Rev Manzoor Jalal, President of the Evangelistic Gospel Ministries of Pakistan , urged donors to make special provisions for Christians.

"I appeal to organisations and countries which are giving aid to government of Pakistan for flood victims to allocate separate or special funds for Christian flood victims and transfer it to EGM Pakistan or other Christians organisations of Pakistan for food, tents and medical facilities. In all, some eight million people need emergency help and the monsoon season is due to last another three weeks.

I humble request to all Christians please pray and support Pakistanis Christians ..

UN: 1 million more displaced by Pakistan floods

2010-08-27T05:59:00.001-07:00

THATTA, Pakistan – Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis fled floodwaters Friday after the surging River Indus smashed through levees in two places, but many refused to leave the danger zone while others took shelter in an ancient graveyard for Muslim saints.

The new flooding came after the Taliban issued a veiled threat against foreign aid workers helping out in the crisis, a development likely to complicate the massive relief effort. More than 8 million people are in need of emergency assistance across the country.

The floods began in the mountainous northwest about a month ago with the onset of monsoon rains and have moved slowly down the country toward the coast in the south, inundating vast swaths of prime agricultural land and damaging or destroying more than 1 million homes.

About 175,000 people are believed to have fled their homes overnight in the southern city of Thatta after the levee protecting the city was breached, said Manzoor Sheikh, a senior government official. Authorities were trying to repair the levee, about 75 miles (125 kilometers) southeast of the major coastal city of Karachi.

"The situation is getting worse," said local disaster official Hadi Baksh Kalhoro. "The water is flowing into a nearby canal endangering Thatta city."

A second breach occurred in the Soorjani levee in the same region, said Gulab Shah, who is helping relief efforts.

"It is beyond control now," he said. "Thousands of people are sitting with their cattle and belongings and their lives are in danger. They are not willing to leave."

An Associated Press reporter saw dozens of people taking shelter in the Makli Hill burial ground, one of the largest such sites in the world. The graveyard, which is not believed to be in danger, houses the ornate tombs of hundreds of Muslim saints dating from the 14th century.

Protesters blocked a nearby highway with burning tires. They said they heeded evacuation orders, but now had no food, water or shelter.

U.N. spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said about 1 million people have been displaced in Thatta and Qambar-Shadadkot districts since Wednesday.

The United Nations, the Pakistani army and a host of other local and international relief groups have been rushing aid workers, medicine, food and water to the affected regions, but are unable to reach many people.

The Pakistani Taliban on Thursday hinted they might attack the foreign aid workers. The militant network has a history of attacking aid groups, including agencies under the U.N. umbrella.

Militant spokesman Azam Tariq said the U.S. and other countries were not really focused on providing aid to flood victims but had other motives he did not specify.

"Behind the scenes they have certain intentions, but on the face they are talking of relief and help," Tariq told The AP by telephone from an undisclosed location. "No relief is reaching the affected people, and when the victims are not receiving help, then this horde of foreigners is not acceptable to us at all."

The United States — which has launched scores of missile attacks against militant targets in the far northwest over the last 2 1/2 years — hopes to improve its highly unpopular image in Pakistan through its aid efforts. It has deployed 19 civilian and army helicopters to ferry aid and victims.

U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes said the U.N. remained committed to helping the flood victims.

"We will obviously take these threats seriously as we did before, and take appropriate precautions, but we will not be deterred from doing what we believe we need to do, which is help the people of Pakistan," he told a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York.

Other aid organizations noted that Pakistan has long been a high-risk environment for foreigners, and said their security plans took such concerns into account.

Underlining the fragile security environment, a bomb at a restaurant in the northwestern town of Mansehra killed one person Friday, local police chief Mohammed Sajjad said. He said police were investigating who planted the bomb and why.

2010-08-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

One-fifth of Pakistan under water as flooding disaster continues

One-fifth of Pakistan is still under water after three weeks of devastating flooding, and as many as 6 million affected people have not yet received any relief, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority told CNN.

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said Sunday from Pakistan that the flood disaster is the worst he's ever seen, characterizing the destruction as more dire than that caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2005 Pakistani earthquake. Ban urged the international community to send more relief funds to the area; the country now has just $93 million of the estimated $460 million needed to provide flood relief.

About one in 10 Pakistanis — 20 million people altogether — have been affected by the flooding, according to estimates from the Pakistani government. About 1,500 people are feared dead, and at least 2 million are homeless, according to U.N. estimates. The country's most populous province, Punjab, was also one of the worst-hit areas. Relief agencies and the government are still tallying damage to millions of acres of farms.

Now, experts worry about disease spreading. Up to 3.5 million children are at risk for dysentery and other diseases caused by drinking dirty water, warned the United Nations. The U.N. is also worried that a choleraepidemic could spread, as a few cases have already been detected and many villages have no health care.

Ban said the recovery may take billions of dollars in the long term, but so far the U.N. is calling for less than half a billion in relief. Fundraising has been sluggish, charities told Dawn News. The country is promised $212 million in committed pledges and another $140 million in uncommitted pledges has been raised, according to ReliefWeb, which tracks relief funds. The United States has led the effort, pledging more than $70 million.

"These unprecedented floods demand unprecedented assistance," Ban said, according to the U.N. "The flood waves must be matched with waves of global support."

The 2004 tsunami claimed more than 200,000 lives and displaced 2 million people, according to the Heritage Foundation. Donors gave more than $13 billion in aid to help the disaster's victims. In Pakistan's disaster, the death toll right now is relatively low, which may be one reason the international community has been slower to donate.

Flood survivors are angry at being left without relief for weeks. Hundreds of Pakistani flood victims blocked traffic on a major highway today, demanding faster relief and blaming the government for leaving them without aid, Reuters reported. "They are throwing packets of food to us like we are dogs. They are making people fight for these packets," protester Kalu Mangiani told the Associated Press. On Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators in the Punjab province yelled "down with the government," and burned tires, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmoud Qureshi says he worries the flooding may create unwelcome political fallout as well: By displacing populations and destabilizing the basis of the local economy in many settlements, the disaster could be a recruiting boon for insurgents.

"If we do not get the help I am worried," Qureshi told the BBC. "I am worried because millions would starve. ... People who want to create mischief will get room to step in. And we want to make sure we do not create a vacuum for them to fill.

Pray and support for victims of Pakistan

Pastor Edward qaser

"The biggest disaster in the history of Pakistan”

2010-08-16T00:49:00.000-07:00

The worst floods in Pakistan's history have hit at least 12 million.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Monsoons have flooded much of Northern Pakistan displacing thousands of families and leaving masses homeless, but no major relief efforts have yet begun to reach the hardest hit regions. Funds are needed to get supplies and volunteers to where they are most needed. Donations... will pay for medicines, vaccinations, emergency equipment, ambulance rental, fuel, food, water and logistics to get these supplies through the difficult terrain into Pakistan's flood-affected areas.

How will this project solve this problem?

We will set up a relief camps close to the hardest hit flood areas. Donations will allow us to purchase and create a supply line from the larger cities to deliver donations of medical supplies, food, water, and medical providers, and volunteers.

Project Message

The magnitude of the displacement is so large we are now hearing figures of over 12 million people having been affected. So it's a very, very difficult task. It's a very challenging one.
ASSISTANCE LIST OF REQUIRED ITEMS FROM DONORS
a. Boats b. Tents c. Generators d. Water Filtration Plants e. Dewatering Pumps
f. Blankets g. Medicines h. Medical Equipment i. Hygiene Kits j. Non Perishable Food Items

ITEMS REQUIRED FOR FLOOD AFFECTED.

1. FOOD ITEMS

a. Dried Milk for Children and Families b. Dates c. High Nutrition Biscuits d. Food Packets consisting of Tea, Sugar, Milk Powder, Vegetable Oil, Pulses and Spices e .Mineral Water etc

2. NON FOOD ITEMS

a. Water Coolers b. Cooking Utensils c. Footwear for Children d. Mosquito Nets e. Blankets f. Bed Spreads
g. Floor Mattresses etc

3. PERSONAL HYGIENE KIT

a. Soap b. Hand Towels c. Tooth Paste d. Female Sanitary Pads e. Diapers/ Pampers for minors f. Washing Powder/Soap etc

4. MISC

a. ORS b. Mosquito Repellents c. Prickly Heat Powder d. Children Anti Rash Creams
e. Water Purification Tablets f. Candles /Match Boxes g. Torches etc

May God give us the strength in overcoming this severe trouble and disaster! Amen

......"to send prayers and financial support for persons living in Pakistan who are suffering from the devastating effects of recent and ongoing floods."

Donations are needed to help provide emergency relief to those currently in desperate need. Please do contribution to "Pakistan Flood Relief".

Please Urges Community To Support Flood Victims of my Church peoples to do help us.

Keep inform if you or any other Organization can take stand.
You can send donations through BANK,WESTERN UNION or MONEY GRAM.
ask us we ll provide you information's

Your brother in Christ !

Pastor Edward qaser

www.egmpk.blogspot.com

Ph # 0092-307-6017639

E.mail :- pegm1994@hotmail.com

Skype and facebook :- pastoredward2009

UN chief: Pakistan floods worst he has ever seen

2010-08-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday the flooding in Pakistan was the worst disaster he had ever seen, and urged foreign donors to speed up assistance to the up to 20 million people affected.

Ban's comments reflect the concern of the international community about the unfolding disaster in Pakistan, which is battling al-Qaida and Taliban militants, has a weak and unpopular government, and an anemic economy propped up by international assistance.

"This has been a heart-wrenching day for me," Ban said after flying over the hard hit areas with President Asif Ali Zardari. "I will never forget the destruction and suffering I have witnessed today. In the past I have witnessed many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this."

The floods began more than two weeks ago in the mountainous northwest and have now hit about one-quarter of the country, especially its agricultural heartland. While the death toll of 1,500 is relatively small, the scale of the flooding and number of people whose lives have been disrupted is staggering.

The world body has appealed for an initial $460 million to provide relief, but only 20 percent has been given.

Once the floods recede, billions more will be needed for reconstruction and getting people back to work in the already-poor nation of 170 million people. The International Monetary Fund has warned the floods could dent economic growth and fuel inflation.

"Waves of flood must be met with waves of support from the world," said Ban. "I'm here to urge the world to step up assistance," he said.

President Zardari has been criticized for his response to the disaster, especially for going ahead with a state visit to Europe just as the crisis was unfolding. Zardari has visited victims twice since returning, but images of him at a family owned chateau while in France are likely to hurt him for months to come.

In his first comments to the media since returning, he defended the government.

"The government has responded very responsibly," he said, saying the army, the police, the navy and officials were all working to relieve the suffering. "I would appeal to the press to understand the magnitude of the disaster."

Zardari said it would take up to two years for the country to recover.

Ban said visa restrictions had been eased for humanitarian workers and they now could get visas on arrival at Pakistan airports.

On Saturday, the prime minister said 20 million people had been made homeless in the disaster. Ban said one out of 10 Pakistanis had been directly or indirectly affected or "possibly 20 billion people."

The monsoon rains that triggered the disaster are forecast to fall for several weeks yet, meaning the worst may not yet be over. Over the weekend, tens of thousand of people were forced to flee their homes when they were inundated by fresh floods from the swollen River Indus.

While local charities and international agencies have helped hundreds of thousands of people with food, water, shelter and medical treatment, the scale of the disaster has meant that many millions have received little or no assistance. The U.N. has voiced fears that disease in overcrowded and unsanitary relief camps may yet cause more deaths.

Earlier Sunday, survivors fought over food being handed out from a relief vehicle close to the town of Sukkur in hard-hit Sindh province, ripping at each other's clothes and causing such chaos that the distribution had to be abandoned, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

"The impatience of the people has deprived us of the little food that had come," said Shaukat Ali, a flood victim waiting for food.

Waters five feet (1.5 meters) deep washed through Derra Allah Yar, a city of 300,000 people on the border of Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, said government official Salim Khoso. About 200,000 had fled the city and Khoso said he did not know how they would be fed.

"We are here like beggars," said Mukhtar Ali, a 45-year-old accountant living on the side of a highway along with thousands of other people. "The last food we received was a small packet of rice yesterday and 15 of us shared that."

Please pray for Pakistan and victims families of flood , Please pray and support those people . Donate us ....

___

Pakistan floods 'hit 12m people'

2010-08-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

The worst floods in Pakistan's history have now affected 12 million people, says the government relief agency.

General Nadeem Ahmed, of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said that figure only covered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces.

Figures for Sindh province were not yet available, he added.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that a charity connected to a group allegedly linked to al-Qaeda has been providing aid in flood-hit areas.

Gen Ahmed said that 650,000 houses had been destroyed, and that the highway authority had estimated it would cost about 5bn Pakistani rupees ($59m; £38m) to rebuild roads destroyed by the flood waters.

The bill for fixing damage to power infrastructure and dams would come to another 2.5bn rupees, he added.

"In my opinion, when assessments are complete, this will be the biggest disaster in the history of Pakistan," he told a news conference in Islamabad on Friday.

There is mounting anger at the absence of President Asif Ali Zardari, who left the country for a state visit to Britain to meet the UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

With flood victims bitterly accusing the authorities of failing to come to their aid, the disaster has piled yet more pressure on an administration struggling to contain Taliban violence and an economic crisis.

Flooding has submerged whole villages in the past week, killing at least 1,600 people, according to the United Nations.

And the worst floods to hit the region in 80 years could get worse, as it is only midway through monsoon season.

Flooding has also hit Indian-administered Kashmir, where more than 100 people have died in the Ladakh region.

Pakistan floods affect 2.5 million, up to 1,500 killed

2010-08-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Fears were growing on Monday for up to 2.5 million people affected by Pakistan's worst floods in 80 years amid outbreaks of disease after monsoon rains killed up to 1,500 people.

Unprecedented rains triggered floods and landslides, sweeping away thousands of homes and devastating farmland in one of Pakistan's most impoverished regions, already hard hit by years of Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked violence.

Pakistani officials warn that a lack of drinking water is spreading disease, including cholera, and say they are working to evacuate people from affected areas such as Swat, the scene last year of an offensive against the Taliban.

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced that up to 2.5 million people across Pakistan have been affected by the heavy flooding.

"In the worst-affected areas, entire villages were washed away without warning by walls of flood water," it said in a statement, noting that thousands of people "have lost everything."

Aid workers and Pakistan's military conducted what relief efforts they could as officials warned that the death toll was rising.

"There are 774 deaths registered with us, but the total number killed in the flood is 1,200 to 1,500," Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister of northwest province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told a news conference in Peshawar.

Syed Zahir Ali Shah, health minister for the province, said about 100,000 people, mostly children, were suffering from illness such as gastroenteritis.

A spokesman for the charity World Vision said teams had visited those affected around the main northwestern city of Peshawar, but that those further north had been inaccessible by road.

"They don't have drinking water or food. They said there have been some visible signs of water-borne diseases," Muhammad Ali told AFP, warning that the death toll was likely to rise further as aid workers reached more areas.

At a camp set up by the army for around 640 families in Nowshehra, women and children ran after vehicles bringing food and water, pushing and shouting.

"We are getting patients with trauma, gastroenteritis, skin diseases and dehydration," doctor Shoaib Mohammad told AFP at a small 20-bed mobile clinic.

Fifty-year-old Ajmair Shah went into shock after flood destroyed his home in Nowshehra. He lay motionless in his hospital bed and staring into the air.

"My house was swept away by the flood, nothing is left there. I have lost everything," Shah said and started weeping.

People at the camp said there were no proper latrines or bathrooms and that the only respite from the crushing heat was plastic hand fans. Most of them fled in the clothes they were wearing and many children roamed around naked.

"They throw food at us as if we are animals and not humans," Ilyas Khan, one angry man told AFP, complaining there was no proper system of distribution.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon pledged aid of up to 10 million dollars for those affected by the crisis, saying he was "deeply saddened" by the floods.

The US government announced a 10-million-dollar aid pledge and has rushed helicopters and boats to Pakistan. China has also promised 1.5 million dollars, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Anwer Kazmi, a spokesman for Pakistan's largest charity, the Edhi Foundation, said at least 1,256 people had been killed.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Amir Haider Hoti said the floods were "unprecedented" and warned it could take up to 10 days to assess the overall number of dead and displaced.

Pakistan's meteorological service forecast rains of up to 200 millimetres in the next weeks across the northwest, Pakistani-administered Kashmir, the central province of Punjab and Sindh in the south.

Flood victims have condemned authorities over a sluggish relief, shouting "give us aid sent by foreign countries" and "death to the corrupt government."

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said it had rescued more than 28,000 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by helicopter and boat.

The NDMA said nearly 30,000 homes had been damaged across the country.

In addition to those killed in the northwest, local officials said 53 people died in Pakistani Kashmir, 26 in southwestern province Baluchistan and 49 in Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province.

The southern province of Sindh went on red alert, spokesman Mazhar Siddiqui said, fearing that 150,000 people could be displaced by expected floods there.

Flood Affected Areas of Balochistan & Sindh in Pakistan

2010-06-06T02:36:00.000-07:00

2000 flood victim families in Bhag need help

Over 2000 families have been affected by the flood triggered by torrential rains that lashed Bhag recently. Pakistan Red Crescent Society has conducted a survery which revealed that at least 2000 families have been affected by the recent flood in Bhag, a Tehsil of district Nasirabad of Balcohistan.

Flood has wiped out many houses and people are stranded with the flood water, survey further said. Secretary PRSC Sardar Major retired Sabir Durrani has said that relief operation for the flood-battered people would be launched soon. He added that relief goods comprising edibles, and other stuff would be distributed among the flood affectees.

Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani had also ordered to take immediate measures for rehabilitation of Bhag flood victims; however, there is still need that non-governmental organizations should also participate in relief operation for the people of Bhag.

Hunza Valley

2010-05-19T01:02:00.000-07:00

Pakistan calls for aid as homeless flood toll reaches 1 million

Relief agencies struggling to support thousands of villagers displaced by floodwater in northern Pakistan have delivered fresh supplies to the affected area.

A landslide in January dammed the River Hunza and created a lake which is steadily deepening. There are now fears that the lake could soon break its banks and destroy many more villages.

Thousands of people have been forced from their villages and the numbers are growing all the time.

Some were displaced by the original landslide in January. But the water level has since continued to rise, and more homes have gradually been engulfed.

Twenty five thousand people have been stranded in the valley of Gojal (Upper Hunza) for approximately the last four months when the small village of Attabad, situated in Gojal, was hit by a landslide, killing a number of inhabitants and damaging houses, schools and dispensaries. The debris, as a result of the landslide, obstructed the flow of the Hunza river, creating a lake which is rising, expanding and extending with each passing day, threatening the submersion of low lying areas in the nearby villages, e.g. Aeenabad, Shishkat, Gulmit, Hussaini and Passu. The tehsil headquarter, Gulmit, has already been turned into an island with no land connections with neighbouring villages. There is no electricity in Shiskit and Gulmit.

Promises were made that the situation would be normalised within three weeks. But it has now been more than four months and the situation is moving from bad to worse. As a result, the length of the artificially created lake has risen to 17 kilometres. The average water rise is about three feet per day and the average water inflow is 2,300 cusecs. The maximum height of the water in the lake is currently at 320 feet. The ever-rising and expanding lake has already started sending ominous signals of more dire events. The monstrous waves have already submerged 90 homes, two jama’at khanas and one school.

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The danger of the outburst of the artificial lake is increasing. Keeping in view the volume and speed of water it will create, a number of villages, situated downstream, will either be flooded or will experience landslides. According to a report by FOCUS, an affiliated organisation of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), the villages that run a high risk of flooding in case of the outburst of the lake include Ahmadabad, Faizabad, Ganish, Mayun, Joglot, Gowachi, Rahimabad, Rahimabad Pain, Nomal, Chilmisdas, Juta Pain, Jagoat, Majokal, Danyore and Oshkandas. The worst scenario could be the flood rushing downstream, submerging 15 bridges and 20 villages and finally hitting the Tarbela Dam.

The Gojal disaster has multiple dimensions: economic, educational, health, and psychological. The lack of communication, with the exception of obsolete and risky boats, has led to a number of economic problems. The submersion of 15 kilometres of the Karakoram Highway has brought to a halt trade activities through this route. The estimated volume of border trade ranges from Rs 4 to 5 billion. There is a serious dearth of food, fuel, gas and wood. The supply of necessary commodities is limited and insufficient. Approximately 15,000 kanals of land in Aeenabad, Shishkat, and Gulmit are underwater now. Most of this land was cultivatable. Thousands of domestic trees have been uprooted lending a hard blow to the economic means of the local inhabitants where 90 percent rely on farming. The buying power of the common people has gone down, as the prices have been hiked up and economic resources are dwindling. The sowing of the potato cash crop, which is the major source of subsistence for local farmers, has been jeopardised in the wake of flooded fields, broken communication means, shortage of seeds and fertilisers and highly uncertain future prospects.

The disaster has an educational dimension as well. Hunza is known for its very high literacy rate — about 80 percent — as parents consider the education of their children to be their biggest investment. A number of schools have now been destroyed or declared unsafe, leading to the displacement of a large number of students. Quite a few parents, because of the economic crunch, are unable to pay the fees for their children. The schools have been closed down, as they would be used as potential camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Associated with education is the vital dimension of health. Besides the initial human loss at Attabad, where 19 inhabitants died, there was one more casualty during the rescue operation. Shehzad Sher, a young boy of grade 12, laid down his life on February 5, 2010 while doingrescue work. The painful fact is that there is no proper hospital in Gojal. There is no laboratory, no X-ray machine and no ultrasound apparatus. There is no lady doctor and no permanent physician in the area. Patients, in normal times, are referred to the hospital in Gilgit. Since the collapse of the bridge and the Karakoram Highway, even critical patients are deprived of hospital facilities.

Besides economic, educational, and health dimensions, there is a psychological dimension to this disaster. A number of stranded inhabitants have developed a feeling of helplessness, frustration and depression. Their lives are now riddled with anxiety and fear; fear of the fast-approaching water, fear of losing their property and fear of getting displaced. A large number of girls and boys from Gojal are studying away from their homes, in the major cities of Pakistan. They are deeply concerned and worried about their families. Their families are far away and their dear ones are in a vulnerable state. There is a marked change in their lives, adversely affecting their academic performance.

The most painful part of the issue was the downplaying of the disaster by the federal and local authorities. They tried to create the impression that everything was either all right or under control. The reality, however, was just the opposite. The local inhabitants, in their protest rallies in Gilgit and Hunza, accused the authorities of sheer negligence by underestimating the threat and applying insufficient machinery, labour and daily working hours. There was no help sought from China to meet the challenge. Was that a deliberate attempt to “cash in on chaos”, as Nomi Klein in The Shock Doctrine would interpret? Summer is setting in. The glaciers have started melting. The clock is ticking away.

Friends , we request to you please share hands with us for those IDP's , they need all kind of living things . Please send you donation for those people . Hope to hear from you as soon as.....

Your brother in Christ !

Pastor Edward Qaser

2009-09-30T03:58:00.000-07:00

Waziristan or not, that is the question

For a couple of months, the world has seen pictures of Pakistani men, women and children with flushed faces stuffed in buses, braving oppressive heat and winding roads. Their mission was to return to the scenic Swat Valley, known as the Switzerland of Pakistan. Newspaper headlines have read: ‘The long journey back home.’ The Pakistan military has been lauded and applauded for beating back the Taliban. Even the displacement of three million people in the process was forgiven, though criticised. The Pakistani people, after being under attack for at least two years from its most dangerous enemy yet – one that lies within – were celebrating victory against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

All the while, the crucial question hung in the air unanswered, casting a dark shadow over the self-congratulatory military: Will the Taliban re-emerge? It appears they have.

There have been two spectacular attacks over the last few weeks. They came after the ‘end’ of the Swat military operation, and after Baitullah Mehsud’s was killed in a suspected drone attack. (Notably, Mehsud was not killed by the Pakistan army, but by the United States. None of the Taliban leadership was killed or apprehended in the Swat operation.)

The most recent manifestation of the ‘return’ of the Pakistan Taliban is the audacious attackon the Religious Affairs Minister, Hamid Saeed Kazmi, in the federal capital earlier this month. A sniper on a motorbike opened fire at the minister’s car in broad daylight, chased him on a main road of Islamabad, and riddled the car with at least 25 bullets. The minister was injured, his driver killed and a police guard injured in the stunning assassination attempt.

However, Islamabad-based analyst, Farhan Bokhari of the Financial Times is less than shocked. ‘No one should be surprised,’ he says. ‘A military victory in Swat just took back the territory but the militants are still out there. The Pakistan army will have to go all the way.’

Bokhari also accredits the attack to the minister’s political beliefs. He points out that Kazmi was a vocal opponent of hardline Taliban militants. ‘He condemned suicide attacks,’ he says. ‘If you recall, Mufti Sarfraz Naeemi was assassinated for condemning suicide attacks.’ The Taliban do not stand for dissenting views even from those committed to Islamic teachings, as was Mufti Naeemi, who ran a madrassah in Lahore.

Before the attack on Kazmi, a suicide bomber sneaked into a police training centre in Mingora, Swat, on August 30 and detonated explosives, killing 16 new recruits and injuring four others. Targeting new police recruits has been a strategy of the Taliban as it demoralises young people who may be eager to serve in the security apparatus and discourages others from joining the forces.

Now if the Pakistani Taliban have regrouped and found a leader in the newly elected Hakeemullah Mehsud, is it a good time for the Pakistan military to launch a new offensive in Waziristan?

Defence analyst and retired General Talat Masood doubts if the Pakistan army would launch a massive ground operation in the Waziristan agencies. He claims, ‘For one, it would unite the entire FATA and the tribes would be up in arms against the state, even if they don’t like the Taliban. Secondly, winter is approaching and holding ground may be exacting on the army.’ General Masood predicts that the Pakistan army would instead keep the pressure on the Taliban by blocking their routes, hitting them with missiles, rockets and artillery shelling. The additional support from US drones would keep them unhinged. More and more Pakistani experts are acknowledging the usefulness of US drone missile attacks, but asserting that they remain unpopular with the local people.

Zafar Hilaly, a former ambassador, answers the question of whether the Pakistan army should strike Waziristan now with a resounding ‘yes’. But he makes an argument that is not very different from General Masood and cautions, ‘In Swat, the insurgents were an invading, external force. In Waziristan, the insurgents are from within. They are of the indigenous tribes. So if anything, the people of the area will fear the army.’

If the natives of Waziristan see the Pakistan military as the invading force, it would be a tougher battle to ‘win.’ Perhaps the way to woo the people would be through a hearts-and-minds campaign. Security expert, Rustam Shah, suggests a revision in the military tactic that would serve to alienate less people. ‘In Swat, there was too much reliance on the air force which resulted in massive displacement. It would do the army well to do less of that in Waziristan.’

As I said in the beginning of this peace, there were close to three million displaced as a result of the military offensive in Swat. According to latest reports, about a million have returned, leaving well over a million still in refugee status.

And those who have made the long journey home have not returned to much at all, as illustrated by this slideshow from The New York Times. The photographs on the website show what is meant by ‘normal life’ in Swat. What you see is distressing to say the least, and very far from being normal.

Swat Sewing Centres

2009-07-16T01:38:00.000-07:00

Swat Sewing Cenetres

Giving employment or an opportunity to earn in Pakistan is just like giving life. Let us continue to give life to these people

IBS and EGM Pakistan start a new project for swat IDP's in Murden , Boner , Der and Swat Cities.The IBS & EGM Pakistan is a charity registered in Pakistan to support a project which offers opportunities for empowerment of women in the male-dominated tribal communities in Pakistan, Northern Area Swat ,Murden and Boner , an one of the remotest and poorest areas of Pakistan adjacent to the border with Afghanistan. The project has recently been extended to slum districts of Lahore.
This is a grass-roots project supported by local groups of Pakistan and IBS USA. In response to community needs, partners in Pakistan have established 15 education and skills training centres for women and children of all cultures and faiths (Christian, Hindu and Muslim). The centres are based in homesteads centred on the cities of Pakistan, in the heart of the Pashtun tribal area of Peshawar , in Lahore and the Cholistan desert. The literacy rate for women is one of the lowest in the world. The men in these communities have permitted their daughters, sisters and wives to attend the centres on a daily basis and to receive grounding in Urdu, arithmetic and English. The centres not only educate and train, but provide opportunities for women’s empowerment by enabling them to socialize with others from their own and different faiths.In centres Pastors preaching every Morning and share gospel with them.

Your Brother in Christ !

Pastor Edward qaser

Swat Relief Project

2009-07-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Swat Relief Project

Greetings in the Precious & Exciting name of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ !

I take opportunity to inform you that IBS and EGM Pakistan has started its relief project in Murden ( Swat ) by the willing of God and through this relief project God has blessed so much to his people ( Refugees ) .We have done two major trips into refugees and both are successful now IDP’s need every month a trip from us for treatment and provide them all their necessities. We are collecting local funding; many generous people are taking burden for swat refugees in Pakistan.

Rev.Manzoor Jalal prayed before traveling. We moved from our house early morning at 3:00 Am and after 7 hours driving we reached in Murden City, Bishop Peter and his team welcome us, He shared refugees needs and requirements with us. We spent two hours with them then we moved to camps and shared gospel with IDP’s. Rev. Manzoor Jalal Shared message from gospel of Mathew 25: 35.

In the evening we distributed all things into IDP’s. Our medical coordinator Lubna Manzoor has already started Medical camp after Prayer meeting.

Food Camp

We arranged 62-food packages for IDP’s in Murden city, one package was consists on 11 items. Those are as under :

1. Flour

2. Cooking Oil

3. Rice

4. Sugar

5. Tooth paste

6. Tooth brush

7. Bath Soap

8. Cloth Washing Soap

9. Anti Germs liquid ( Dettol)

10. Noodles

11. Cookies

Medical Camp

We have also arranged a medical camp for IDP’s , Medicines list ….

1. Multi Vitamins + calcium ( For Pregnant women )

2. Gynaocid Cream and Tab trichogin ( For Vaginal Infection )

3. Antibiotics

4. Painkiller ( Injection , Tablets )

5. Anti allergic ( Tablets and Creams )

We have many others medicines for skin diseases and pregnant women. We committed to IDP’s that we would arrange every month a medical camp workshop and seminars for young boys and Girls about Rehabilitation.

Kids Gifts

We have fresh bottles, candies, chocolates, biscuits, color pencils, drawing copies and stationary items. We distributes into children one by one, There are 142 Boys and 154 Girls. We have only 72 drawing copies and 48 colors Pencils packets.15 bags of Candies, Chocolates, biscuits and bottles, Each bags have 50 items of all things .We distributes all things into children and they were very glad to taking all things. In this way we glorify His great name, Children are thankful for The Lord Jesus Christ who gave them life and all needs of life in the time of war. There is one boy who is patient of Diabetes; he needs completely treatment but lack of funding and medical facilities. He is seeking to God Jesus for healing. We are fully faithful that Jesus Christ our Lord will heal him.

Achievements :-

Children were very happy to have cold drinks, color pencils, drawing books, candies etc

Packages were distributed among women and men to fulfill their family needs and they were very glad and thankful for Lord Jesus Christ.

Bishop Peter appreciated and thankful for this kind of struggle and hope to do much better in future from us.

Evolution:-

When IDP’s were moving to Murdan and others camps, they paid a huge amount for transport because of war has started and there were no any way to move another places. Swat and other areas are 250 meters high from sea level.

Requirements :

There are 76 families in which 63 are Christians, 6 Families are Muslims and 7 Hindus. In this time they have enough eating material for next one month ( July ) but not medical facilities but now they need clothes for kids, Women need undergarments, clothes, hair removing creams and whispers (Pad). These things are very essential now. They are suffering from skin diseases lack of these things. There are two women (refugees) who are sewing clothes. We can provide them some more sewing machines for their betterment; in this way they can earn money to support their family. 13 women know how to operate sewing machines. This is a good plan for restore their economy status back. We want to work for their rehabilitation and restoration in their own houses; this is our major target in future.

Food Items
Clothes for Kids
Undergarments for women
Purify Water Machines
Generator
Books for Kids
Tents
Sewing Mechines

Donate for Swat Refugees Project

Designation: G.Secetary / Edward Qaser
Organization: Evangelistic Gospel Ministries of Pakistan
Address: H # 09 St 01 D-2 Barkat Jalal Colony Youhanabad
City: Lahore
Country: Pakistan
Phone: +92.307-6017639
E-mail: pegm1994@hotmail.com

Please indicate your donations/contributions or tithings alongwith MTCN Number issued by Western Union/Money Gram at the above E-mail Address

Donation through Bank

Account Title : Edward Qaser

Account No : 0172-79002386-11

Bank Name : Habib Bank Ltd

Address of Bank : Main Market Gulberg Branch Lahore.

Swift Code : HABBPKKA

Address of Account Holder : H # 09 St 01 D-2 Barkat Jalal Colony Youhanabad Lahore, Pakistan.

   Donation through Western Union or Money Gram
     Edward Qaser

S/O Manzoor Jalal

Add Lahore ,Pakistan

Send us gifts by post :- P.O . Box # 10235 Feroz Pur Rd Lahore, Pakistan

Many Blessing .

Your faithful,

Rev.Manzoor Jalal , Pastor Edward Qaser