region: Middle East -> South Asia

notes: From the InterAction site (Armed Conflict response): The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been engaged with the displacement response since November 2008. IRC is working in partnership with the Government of Pakistan, UNHCR, UNICEF and other agencies as a key actor providing services for internally displaced people (IDPs) affected by the conflict. Currently, IRC works in protection, education, and water and sanitation inside the camps. IRC will be extending humanitarian relief services, including water and sanitation and protection, to vulnerable IDPs who have not found refuge in camps and make up the majority of displaced people in Pakistan. IRC is also assessing health services for out-of-camp IDPs, with plans to address identified gaps. --------------------------------------------- From the Site - Floods Response: IRC on the Ground in Flood-Ravaged Pakistan: “The Situation Is Desperate” The International Rescue Committee is on the ground providing aid to victims of the worst flooding in Pakistan’s modern history. At least 1,400 people have been killed and three million people have been affected by the devastating monsoon rains. “Our greatest concern right now is that people’s supplies of drinking water have been contaminated by the flood waters,” said the IRC’s Pakistan director Tammy Hasselfeldt. “The reports of diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems are rapidly increasing.” In response, the IRC will, in the coming weeks, launch a major aid effort to clean contaminated wells and repair broken water systems. “In the first phase, as water levels are slowly receding, we are also going to distribute plastic sheeting for shelter, blankets, bednets to prevent malaria, hygiene material, water purification tablets and other essential material,” Hasselfeldt said. The monsoon rains continued this week making it extremely difficult for aid workers to reach the affected areas. IRC teams on the ground report that large areas of northwestern Pakistan have suffered extensive damage with entire villages, roads, bridges and dams washed away in the deluge. The communication infrastructure has also been destroyed, effectively cutting off towns and villages from the outside world. “While we are active in 11 districts across northwestern Pakistan, our response at present will target the worst affected districts: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Noweshera, Charsadda, Swat and Dir,” Hasselfeldt said. In the past week, IRC teams visited some 200 villages in Swat district and estimates that nearly 200,000 people remain trapped by broken roads and bridges and are awaiting assistance. On July 31, IRC teams rented all-terrain vehicles and ferried 300 desperate people from villages in the Bahrain, Maidan and Matta areas to higher ground across a treacherous mountain pass. “Our staff report that the floods have caused extensive landslides across Swat,” Hasselfedt said. “Whole villages have been washed away in the current, along with livestock, medical supplies and food. Residents have few means to find shelter from ongoing rainstorms or the daytime heat.” Soon firewood too will be in short supply. The little dry wood that is available is prioritized for cooking and staying warm in the cool evenings rather than for boiling water, which has contributed to the increase in disease. To make matters worse, forecasters predict more flash floods in the devastated northwest and other parts of the country in the coming days. So far, nearly one million people have lost their homes or have been forced to flee, according to the United Nations. Some 1.8 million are in need of food aid. “The situation is desperate,” Hasselfedt said. “It will take a very long time and increased support from the outside world to help people recover from this catastrophe.” -> From the InterAction site (2010 Armed Conflict response): The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been engaged with the displacement response since November 2008. IRC is working in partnership with the Government of Pakistan, UNHCR, UNICEF and other agencies as a key actor providing services for internally displaced people (IDPs) affected by the conflict. Currently, IRC works in protection, education, and water and sanitation inside the camps. IRC will be extending humanitarian relief services, including water and sanitation and protection, to vulnerable IDPs who have not found refuge in camps and make up the majority of displaced people in Pakistan. IRC is also assessing health services for out-of-camp IDPs, with plans to address identified gaps. --------------------------------------------- From the Site - Floods Response: IRC on the Ground in Flood-Ravaged Pakistan: “The Situation Is Desperate” The International Rescue Committee is on the ground providing aid to victims of the worst flooding in Pakistan’s modern history. At least 1,400 people have been killed and three million people have been affected by the devastating monsoon rains. “Our greatest concern right now is that people’s supplies of drinking water have been contaminated by the flood waters,” said the IRC’s Pakistan director Tammy Hasselfeldt. “The reports of diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems are rapidly increasing.” In response, the IRC will, in the coming weeks, launch a major aid effort to clean contaminated wells and repair broken water systems. “In the first phase, as water levels are slowly receding, we are also going to distribute plastic sheeting for shelter, blankets, bednets to prevent malaria, hygiene material, water purification tablets and other essential material,” Hasselfeldt said. The monsoon rains continued this week making it extremely difficult for aid workers to reach the affected areas. IRC teams on the ground report that large areas of northwestern Pakistan have suffered extensive damage with entire villages, roads, bridges and dams washed away in the deluge. The communication infrastructure has also been destroyed, effectively cutting off towns and villages from the outside world. “While we are active in 11 districts across northwestern Pakistan, our response at present will target the worst affected districts: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Noweshera, Charsadda, Swat and Dir,” Hasselfeldt said. In the past week, IRC teams visited some 200 villages in Swat district and estimates that nearly 200,000 people remain trapped by broken roads and bridges and are awaiting assistance. On July 31, IRC teams rented all-terrain vehicles and ferried 300 desperate people from villages in the Bahrain, Maidan and Matta areas to higher ground across a treacherous mountain pass. “Our staff report that the floods have caused extensive landslides across Swat,” Hasselfedt said. “Whole villages have been washed away in the current, along with livestock, medical supplies and food. Residents have few means to find shelter from ongoing rainstorms or the daytime heat.” Soon firewood too will be in short supply. The little dry wood that is available is prioritized for cooking and staying warm in the cool evenings rather than for boiling water, which has contributed to the increase in disease. To make matters worse, forecasters predict more flash floods in the devastated northwest and other parts of the country in the coming days. So far, nearly one million people have lost their homes or have been forced to flee, according to the United Nations. Some 1.8 million are in need of food aid. “The situation is desperate,” Hasselfedt said. “It will take a very long time and increased support from the outside world to help people recover from this catastrophe.” ----------------------------------------- From the InterAction site (Pakistan Floods Response 2010): IRC is mobilizing its staff and resources immediately to respond to the floods in Pakistan. IRC plans to target the most heavily affected districts of Charsadda, Nowshera, Lower Dir and Swat in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KPK) Province. IRC will also be conducting assessments in DI Khan, Tank, Kohat and Hangu districts. IRC has been active in these areas providing quick emergency response to villages affected by conflict with field staff already based in these areas. Immediate program assistance for flood affected areas will focus on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), non-food item distributions, and shelter
mission: The International Rescue Committee serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict worldwide. Founded in 1933, the IRC is committed to freedom, human dignity, and self-reliance. This commitment is expressed in emergency relief, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement assistance, and advocacy. -> The International Rescue Committee serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict worldwide. Founded in 1933, the IRC is committed to freedom, human dignity, and self-reliance. This commitment is expressed in emergency relief, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement assistance, and advocacy.

website: -> http://www.theirc.org/
mission: The International Rescue Committee serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict worldwide. Founded in 1933, the IRC is committed to freedom, human dignity, and self-reliance. This commitment is expressed in emergency relief, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement assistance, and advocacy. -> The International Rescue Committee serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict worldwide. Founded in 1933, the IRC is committed to freedom, human dignity, and self-reliance. This commitment is expressed in emergency relief, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement assistance, and advocacy.

organization: -> Non-Profit, Disaster Relief/Development
mission: The International Rescue Committee serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict worldwide. Founded in 1933, the IRC is committed to freedom, human dignity, and self-reliance. This commitment is expressed in emergency relief, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement assistance, and advocacy. -> The International Rescue Committee serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict worldwide. Founded in 1933, the IRC is committed to freedom, human dignity, and self-reliance. This commitment is expressed in emergency relief, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement assistance, and advocacy.

mission: -> The International Rescue Committee serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict worldwide. Founded in 1933, the IRC is committed to freedom, human dignity, and self-reliance. This commitment is expressed in emergency relief, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement assistance, and advocacy.

areas_served: -> While we are active in 11 districts across northwestern Pakistan, our response at present will target the worst affected districts: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Noweshera, Charsadda, Swat and Dir