Overview
Concern has been working in Pakistan since 2001, when it responded to the refugee crisis on the border with Afghanistan. Concern has since expanded into long-term development and rehabilitation programmes in Balochistan and Punjab provinces.
Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world and the second most populous country with a Muslim majority. Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan, part of pre-partitioned India, has gone through periods of strong military and economic growth as well as periods of instability, with the secession of east Pakistan, (present-day Bangladesh), in 1971 and a series of conflicts with India, (most recently in 1999), over the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistan is currently facing more instability in the southern province of Balochistan, and in the north-western Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Pakistan today
Despite a recent economic upsurge, Pakistan remains one of the poorest countries in the region. Between 30%-35% of the population live on less than a dollar a day and many others live below, or just slightly above the poverty line.
The provision of basic services such as water and sanitation, health and education is poor. Only 64% of the population has access to safe drinking water, few hospitals are available in rural areas and there is only one doctor for every 3,000 Pakistanis. There is also a major gender gap in education, particularly in rural areas where only 22% of girls above age 10 have completed primary level or higher schooling, compared to 47% of boys.
Concern in Pakistan
Pakistan’s location in the so-called “shatter-belt” region leaves it vulnerable to natural disasters. Concern has been working in Pakistan since the second half of 2001, when it responded to the refugee crisis on the border with Afghanistan. Concern later expanded into long-term development programming in Balochistan and Punjab provinces. Since the end of the emergency response phase in the earthquake affected areas, Concern has also been engaged in rehabilitation programmes.
Emergencies
In 2005, Concern responded to the devastating South Asia earthquake in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and North West Frontier Province (NWFP), supporting over 130,000 people through the provision of food, non-food and shelter items, and a further 155,000 people through the provision of water and sanitation facilities.
More recently, Concern responded to flooding emergencies in Sindh in 2006, and in Balochistan in 2007 with subsequent early recovery projects being initiated in both provinces. Read more...
