Catalans available to provide humanitarian aid to Pakistan
NGOs in Catalonia meet to prepare an aid strategy for the victims of the recent heavy flooding in Pakistan. They are ready to act as soon as international organisations decide exactly what is needed in the field
The Catalan Committee for Humanitarian Aid met this Tuesday to show its willingness to help international organisations with the delivery of aid to Pakistan, which has been heavily affected by flooding. The director of the Catalan Agency of Cooperation (ACCD), Andreu Felip, confirmed that Catalan aid workers are expecting guidance from the international community and NGOs in Pakistan on the type of aid needed.
Representatives of NGOs such as the Red Cross (IFCR), Aid in Action, Farmamundi, Intermon Oxfam and the UN organisation of ACNUR participated in the meeting, as did the consul of Pakistan in Barcelona, Aya Hussain.
During the meeting, the aid workers exchanged information about the situation and agreed to help the local Pakistani population. The Catalan Committee for Humanitarian Aid can mobilize humanitarian relief in 24 hours and will send aid to the region as soon as they receive concrete instructions regarding what is needed.
The Catalan Agency of Cooperation, in cooperation with the Red Cross and Farmamundi, has an annual budget of two million euros for emergency relief, although some of this money has already been used to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. The agency also has an additional 200,000 euros with which to help other NGOs participate in the campaign to support Pakistani people in difficulty.
The consul of Pakistan in Barcelona said that the 40,000 Pakistani people living in Catalonia are extremely concerned about the fate of their relatives in Pakistan. He also confirmed that the flooding has affected 14 million people. Of these, four million have been displaced.