Poorest and most vulnerable hit hardest by floods(Photo: © Aamir Shahzad/CMS)In a moving report hastily typed on a shared computer, a volunteer medic has given a devastating update on the effects of Pakistan’s floods.
The horrifying spread of disease following Pakistan’s floods is matched only by the courage of the ordinary people whose lives have been wrecked.
This is the picture emerging of post-flood Pakistan through the eyes of witnesses such as American volunteer medic Linley York.
Linley’s report reached the CMS office in Oxford this week – and it also highlights the bravery of the Pak Mission Society relief workers with whom she is working.
Among the problems facing the Pakistani people are widespread disease, especially scabies, contaminated wells, and sheer lack of food.
“In America we are obsessed with dieting... but here they wish for appetite suppressants because it is painful to be hungry, so often,” writes Linley.
She also writes of the culture shock she is experiencing – and that of her colleagues. For Pakistani men it can be difficult to work alongside Western women, she says, but a picture emerges of a team putting differences aside to reach desperately needy people with whatever help they can give.
Linley was particularly touched by a baby, Rashida, who was suffering with third-degree burns and for whom she did what she could before Rashida sadly died a few days later. She writes movingly of the tenderness shown by Rashida’s father, the head of the local mosque, and his gratitude for the help of the Pak Mission Society team.
Above all, what strikes the reader is Linley’s admiration for her Pakistani colleagues, in a country where it is not always easy to be a Christian.
“It's so encouraging to meet an NGO group that is out there with the people... sharing the love of Christ with their brothers and sisters, even if it’s not always easy....
“The medical care they provide is for the people who receive little or no help... the very poor and destitute... often the sickest and/or the most injured with no food and not much hope.”
You can read Linley's full report on
Mission Update Online.
So far donations of £8,000 have been received from CMS supporters towards flood relief in Pakistan. If you wish to donate, you can do so using the buttons below.