With Pakistan struggling with deadly monsoon rains, Samaritan's Purse based out of Calgary is doing what they can to help the 33 million people affected. 

Frank King, the News Media Relations Manager with Samaritan's Purse Canada  said that as of this week plenty of materials are on the way. 

“[At] this point, we're shipping four containers of supplies to Pakistan. In those containers is more than 5000 kitchen sets, 5400 water filters, and 10,000 bags of dehydrated vegetable soup mix, which is the equivalent of a million meals servings.”

warehouseAll photos provided by Frank King, Volunteers helping get the packages ready. 

Over half a million head of cattle have been killed, which would be the equivalent of wiping out half of Alberta’s cattle.  Adding to that, around 22,000 schools have been flooded and destroyed. 

“As a Christian organization, Jesus tells us to go out and help people regardless of who they are or what they believe or don't believe, and that's our mission statement. When there's these kinds of disasters, while other people are running away from them, we tend to be running towards them to get help there as fast as possible.” 

Before they sent all the kitchen sets, water filters and all other aid, they also sent initial relief including emergency food, water and medical supplies. 

King did state they do have a couple members that will be going overseas to help with whatever they can. 

Another Airdronian, Dr. Fozia Alvi just returned from Pakistan recently. Dr. Alvi was helping with medical relief and establishing a field hospital on the ground.

"In the past few days, I saw so many sick children, that a physician like myself, should not even see in their lifetime. The devastation in Pakistan caused by the recent flooding has shaken me. I never could have imagined that I could see this in my home country."

According to Dr. Alvi, it was heartbreaking to leave behind hundreds of young children dying of illnesses that she could not do anything for. She also added that over 650,000 women are expected to deliver in the next few weeks in unsafe conditions and circumstances

"Almost everyone I crossed paths with was severely malnourished, including many of the pregnant women. There's an urgent need to save these women and young children as they are the future. My heart aches to see them in so much pain."

In the affected areas where flooding happened: Sindh, Baluchistan and south Punjab, people were already below the poverty line, and now, with the recent flooding, they not only lost their homes, but they also lost their livestock and crops which was primarily their only source of income.

"It’s a common scenario that if a parent has to save a child or an animal, they end up trying to save their animal first."

After everything that Alvi has witnessed, she is asking that everyone that can to please lend a helping hand and donate to whatever organization you trust to help out Pakistan.

 

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