CURRENT SITUATION

According to the UGOOD report counter-insurgency operations have intensified in recent weeks in Swat District, NWFP, and Bajaur Agency, FATA, limiting humanitarian access and resulting in new displacement. In addition, relief agencies anticipate continued clashes in Mohmand Agency.

As the results of continuous military operation against terrorism and extremism in Swat, Dir, Buner and adjacent locations, the residents of these areas are migrating to safer regions like Mardan, Charsadda and Peshawar. As per estimate of UGOOD's NWFP Consortium for Peace & Development-NCPD, up to one million Internally Displaced People-IDPs are expected - being the biggest displacement of Pakistan since independence. The consortium also informed that the relevant authorities had earlier registered 550,000 IDPs in the NWFP, adding fresh IDPs from Swat, Buner and Lower Dir were estimated at around 500,000.

Keeping in view the current situation the consortium provided an estimate that another 500,000 IDPS who are expected to arrive from Mardan, Swabi and other districts of the province.

FACTS AND FIGURES IN IDPs CAMPS

Note: The numbers of IDPs are continues to increase by the day to the different Relief Camps but most of the IDPs don't prefer to stay in Camps. They are either at their relatives, friends or rented out the place all over in Pakistan.

NECESSATIES FOR THE EMERGENCY RELIEF

Following is the list of immediate requirements at the camps of IDPs for the provision of emergency relief.

1.      Shelter

2.      Tents

3.      Blankets

4.      Plastic Sheets

5.      Food Aid

6.      Water Containers

7.      Kitchen Sets

8.      Cooking utensils

9.      Sanitation

10.   Medicine

11.   Pedestrian Fans

12.   Umbrellas

13.   Dry food

14.   Biscuits etc.

HEALTH RELATED INTERVENTIONS

UGOOD intends to implement following health related interventions:-

Provision of health services with Outpatient essential, PHC services including EPI vaccination, maternal and child health, management of chronic diseases for the elderly, control and management of acute diarrhea, ARI and referral services.

Provision of medicines and essential supplies for IDP camp clinics, for health facilities serving IDP hosting communities and for hospitals.

Facilitation of referral mechanism with support to ambulances

Monitoring, detection, control and prevention of outbreaks of communicable diseases especially acute watery diarrhea (AWD) and Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI).

Support to district health system coordination of interventions as well as monitoring, tracking, storage and distribution of donated essential medicines.

Monitoring the quality of water distributed in the camps and addressing urgent environmental health concerns such as water purification, testing and chlorination, safe water supply and hygiene promotion.

Providing health education in all camps in support of the control of AWD and other health conditions.

Identifying from the health perspective the vulnerable persons in each camp.

Monitoring the nutrition conditions and establishing the health and nutrition surveillance system

Trauma treatment and provision of mental health services and referral to specialists

RECOMMENDATIONS

NWFP Consortium for Peace & Development-NCPD are preparing the winter contingency plans for the IDPs in Mardan, Charsadda, Peshawar and Nowshera districts. The plan targets arrangements for safe drinking water, construction of more latrines, tube wells, water supply lines & arrangement of hot water in order to avoid the spread of seasonal diseases. The plan must also be complimented with capacity building of the local health staff and proactive surveillance mechanism. Water storage provision needs to be addressed especially at the Charsadda IDP camp. Moreover, health and hygiene education must be strengthened in the camps.

It is now essential that epidemiological and nutritional surveillance and preparedness activities are carried out comprehensively along with essential medicines management during emergencies, guidance in health education, reproductive health, water and sanitation and communicable disease control for achieving the targeted objectives during the coming winter.

HISTORY OF IDPs

In the North West Frontier Province's Swat Valley, conflict between an armed opposition group and the army led to Asia's biggest new displacement in 2007, with between 400,000 and 900,000 people forced to flee their homes towards the end of the year. Many people returned as soon as possible, but some of them found their homes and property damaged.

In North Waziristan, conflict between armed opposition groups and the army resumed in October 2007 after the collapse of a ceasefire agreement. At least 80,000 people are believed to have fled their homes to avoid being caught in the bombing and crossfire. There was intense fighting between government forces and the armed opposition groups, where helicopter gun-ships, fighter planes and heavy artillery were reportedly used. There were also clashes between the army and opposition forces in South Waziristan in early 2008, with both sides using heavy weapons, and the conflict forced thousands of civilians to flee the area.

In Balochistan, tens of thousands of people remained displaced as government forces fought some Baloch tribes. The government continued to deny humanitarian agencies access to the displaced in the name of security and safety. The IDPs had first been displaced due to shelling at the border in 1999 and a second time as a result of the 2005 earthquake. In many cases IDPs' land has been occupied by the army.

There is no information available on the exact numbers of people displaced in Pakistan today, due to administrative restrictions on access to affected areas. However, conflicts have clearly displaced, and will continue to displace, civilians in urgent need of protection and humanitarian assistance. Therefore it is critical that donors and humanitarian agencies continue to press the government for access to displaced populations in the country.

APPEAL FOR EMERGENCY RELIEF OF IDPs

United Global Organization of Development-UGOOD is a Non-Profit, Non-Political and Non-Government organization, duly registered with the Government of Pakistan under Trust Act 1882 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The organization was registered on June 3rd, 2003 with the ambition to strive for the sustainable human developments by working in the areas of Health, Education, Environment, Natural Resource Management-NRM, Community Physical Infrastructure-CPI, Poverty Alleviation, Human Rights, Women Empowerment, Youth Development, and Rehabilitation of disabled, poor and destitute.

The UGOOD has been awarded with "Tax Exemption Certificate" by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) - Pakistan.

UGOOD has previously worked for the relief and rehabilitation of earthquake victims in Kashmir and NWFP. More than 50,000 men, women and children were helped at a total cost of Rs. 32,188,800/- Four tent villages were established in Azad Kashmir and one in H-11, Islamabad. UGOOD's Two tent cities that were established in Bagh, one at Union Council Salian and another one in Dhirkot rehabilitated more than 10,000 families.

UGOOD appeals to all individuals, organizations, charities and NGOs in general and nationals of Pakistan in particular, whether resident or expat, to come forward and help by extending financial, technical and moral support to hundreds of thousands, IDPs.

"We have a humanitarian crisis. More must be done to help the IDPs," Syed Ishtiaq Gilani, Chief Executive Officer of United Global Organization Of Development-UGOOD of Pakistan in NWFP while appealing for assistance to launch emergency relief program for IDPs on behalf of NWFP Consortium for Peach and Development-NCPD specially emphasized that every one should come forward to help these IDPs irrespective of the fact that whether he/she supports military operations or not. These IDPs are human being like us and need help during the period of sufferings. Thousands of children are without schools to go to; many families live in inadequate accommodation; food shortages have been reported; "there is an urgent need for action."

CASE STUDIES

"We came to Lahore because I thought it may be easier to find work in a big city. But jobs are very hard to come by. My daughter, Duriya Bibi, 12, has taken on a job washing dishes at a home because we just cannot survive without at least some income," said Mohammad Ameer, 40, from Buner (Swat Valley).

Khurram's father has no job. The family's meager savings were spent getting down to Lahore and they have been forced to rent a home because the relatives they had planned to move in with were already inundated with others from Swat. Khurram has been sent out onto the streets to work to earn money for his family.

The family's situation is worse than they had anticipated because they had to pay over Rs 25,000 (US$320) in transport to reach Lahore. The journey would usually cost half that amount, but Ameer said: "When we came three days ago all the roads out of Buner were clogged. People scrambled to board buses or trucks or rickshaws, and the transporters demanded extra to carry people down."

FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT AND DONATIONS

Beneficiary Name: United Global Organization Of Development (UGOOD)
Bank detail: Allied Bank of Pakistan Ltd
Al-Rehman Plaza, G-9 Markaz, Islamabad - Pakistan
Account Number: 3668-7 - (Branch Code: 681)
For International: Swift Code/Rotting Number: ABP AP KKA (For International Donors)