More than 2.5 million survivors of the deadly earthquake last Saturday are presently faced with the stark reality of their homelessness as the winter season approaches South Asia.
Nearly a week after the massive quake in Pakistan and surrounding countries, the survivors of the disaster are in desperate need of shelter among other emergency items such as food, water, medicine and blankets. Relief agencies worldwide are shipping emergency supplies of the needed items, but providing immediate shelter for more than 2.5 million victims remains a daunting task."[The] tremendous need right now [is] for shelter for the earthquake survivors," said Church World Service (CWS) Pakistan/Afghanistan Director Marvin Parvez from Islamabad in a statement. "People have lost their homes and need shelter. People are very scared and they can’t afford to lose any more loved ones."
"Those now homeless or who are afraid to return to their houses are living in the open air and freezing temperatures," added Parvez.
Christian organisations are joining in the effort to provide temporary shelter for victims in South Asia, sending funds to purchase tents for the victims in South Asia. Included among the groups providing shelter is Lutheran World Relief (LWR), which is partnering with CWS and other members of Action by Churches Together (ACT) to respond to the desperate needs.
"We can assume an active role in funding our partner that is already there – Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS P/A)," said Tim McCully, LWR vice president for international programming. "We’ll be addressing the priority needs listed by the government of Pakistan that include winterised tents, plastic sheets, blankets, mattresses, heating equipment, pre-cooked canned food, water purification kits and various first aid and medical supplies."McCully expressed that providing permanent homes for the victims will not occur immediately, but expects it to be a long-term project requiring extensive planning and discussions among the international body of relief agencies.
"This is one of the world’s worst earthquakes, certainly in decades, in terms of loss of life. This will take a major international response, and will undoubtedly require months and years to address the immense needs of more than two million now-homeless survivors. Physical relief, shelter, reconstruction and psychological support will be long term issues," projected McCully.
Christian humanitarian organisations such as CRWRC, Samaritan’s Purse, Oxfam, World Vision International and Habitat for Humanity International have also contributed to the effort to provide shelters for the earthquake survivors, sending shelter kits, tents, or planning the long term home reconstruction project.
Michelle Vu
Christian Today Correspondent
