Concern's Response to the earthquake in Pakistan
Sunday, 1 October 2006
Concern focused its response to the earthquake on the districts of Muzaffarabad and Mansehra, the places worst affected by the disaster.
Within these areas, we targeted remote households - highland areas above 5,000 feet - where getting access to people affected was most difficult.
The proximity of winter meant that it was essential to get relief items to people quickly, before it became impossible to access these areas.
The growing threat of disease also meant that a swift response was essential. Lack of nutritious food, open defecation, inaccessibility to primary health care services and unavailability of clean drinking water meant communities were at very high risk of diseases such as diarrhoea and typhoid.
In addition, many doctors and nurses lost their lives in the disaster, further undermining the capacity of local people to respond to any public health emergency.
Shelter was the main concern
Concern distributed immediate relief items, including shelter items, blankets and hygiene kits to 19,600 families.
In recognition of the limited availability of tents and the preference of some communities for semi-permanent structures, we distributed corrugated iron sheets, timber and tools to 4,000 families in Mansehra, allowing them to survive the harsh winter in transitional shelters.
Concern was one of the first organisations to realise the shortcomings of trying to distribute tents and was at the forefront of the switch to corrugated iron sheeting.
Concern worked with partner agencies to provide clean drinking water, latrines and sanitation services to 23,000 families in camps in NWFP and AJK.
Many households chose to stay close to their destroyed homes, fearing that if they left, they would not be able to return, or wishing to remain close to their agricultural land.
These small "spontaneous camps" were often in mountainous areas that were only accessible by small vehicles, pack animals or on foot. Conditions in these camps were some of the worst to be found, so Concern focussed much of its attention on these sites.
Funding the Response
Concern ensured that 97% of the overall programme budget for this disaster was spent on project services and goods.
Given the reliance on helicopters to access more remote areas, and the decisions taken by some organisations to employ large teams of international staff and to fly large quantities of supplies in from Europe, there were questions in the media as to the cost effectiveness of the overall response.
However, Concern's response was such that expenditure on transport was kept to a minimum, and the overall majority of our funds were spent on helping those in need.
