Children and Women in Crisis

Millions of children and women in Pakistan had their lives forever marked by flooding in July and August 2010, one of the worst natural disasters of the past decades in terms of the population, land area, number of households and social infrastructure affected. Unusually heavy monsoon rains that were part of an anomalous weather pattern across Asia caused the Indus River to overflow its banks, submerging one-fifth of Pakistan’s land area at the peak of the flooding.¹  More than 20 million people were affected, 7 million lost their homes, and an entire agrarian economy and way of life was altered. Six million boys and girls were severely affected. This extreme emergency, however, was only the most visible of the humanitarian crises of 2010. In northern Pakistan, a landslide in January obliterated a village and dammed up the Hunza River, creating a lake that swallowed up the surrounding villages, affecting some 40,000 people. In north-western Pakistan, more than 1.2 million people remained displaced following the 2009–2010 conflict. Pakistani families are experiencing a bewildering array of humanitarian needs rooted in ongoing instability, temporary displacement and widespread poverty. The key challenges for mounting an effective humanitarian response include frequent population movements and an insufficient number of partners able to assist the most vulnerable populations.