BRAC Pakistan: Relief, Recovery, and Rehabilitation in Flood-Devastated Areas of Pakistan

One of the 57 hand tube wells constructed by BRAC Pakistan staff to bring clean water supply in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province

Summary of BRAC’s relief work in Pakistan since on August 2nd:

• Flood relief packets distributed to78,000 individuals.
• 15,000 patients treated at BRAC’s medical camps.
• Food relief packets given to over 13,000 families.
• Hand tube wells installed at 57 locations, restoring clean water supply to over 14,000 people (see photo)
• Re-building homes, repairing homes, fixing sanitation systems, clearing roads (collectively, “Cash for Work” activities) for the benefit of over 4,700 people.

Some glimpse of the situation directly from BRAC staff working in the flood devastated areas and the people we’re working with:

“People here lost everything. There is no distinguishing the rich and poor. Houses are gone.”

“My house is gone. I need a new house. Why are you telling me about hygiene?” – says a flood victim in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

“We have to save you and your family from serious diseases from bad water.” – comes the reply from BRAC Health worker

“People come to BRAC offices at 1am, 2am, 3am in the morning for medicines.”

“We do relief work day and night while we fast in observance of Ramadan.”

“The [relief work] is very difficult. Lots of mosquitos coming at night. But I am here because I want to do something. Last year I left government service to join BRAC so I could be in the service of my people.”

“Infrastructure destroyed. Government hospitals not functional.”

“If there is only 2~3 foot of water, then the road is passable. I normally get around on foot. If there is less water, we can distribute relief on bikes.”

“BRAC Volunteers fixed the sanitation system at a school where 250 families. The families are living because they have no home. We had to fix the broken sanitation system because of dangers of diseases.”

“Relief does not reach many homes because small roads to their homes have big holes. BRAC Volunteers filled the holes with mud.”

This is only the beginning. In the weeks, months, and years to come, BRAC Pakistan needs to scale up its relief, recovery, and rehabilitation operations in Pakistan. BRAC already has decades of experience with rebuilding from cyclone disasters in Bangladesh. BRAC Pakistan will continue to draw on this institutional knowledge extensively to deliver relief, recovery, and livelihood rehabilitation in both the short and long run to the people of Pakistan. Consistent with BRAC’s philosophy to scale up whatever we do, wherever we do it, BRAC Pakistan is keen to scale up as quickly as possible to provide relief, rebuild homes, and rehabilitate the lives of as many flood victims as possible.

BRAC launched programs in Pakistan in 2007, with a long-term commitment to poverty alleviation in Pakistan. BRAC brings to Pakistan a long history of holistic approach to poverty alleviation via microfinance, health, education, agriculture, and other interventions in places such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Africa. In the flood devastation’s aftermath, BRAC Pakistan’s mandate in Pakistan has grown many times over.

BRAC needs your support to scale up our work in relief, rehabilitation, recovery, and livelihood development for the weeks, months, and years ahead. The current relief work is only the beginning.


Please donate to the relief efforts by clicking here.

-Malik Rashid