Southern Asia Demands Our Attention

October 12, A.D. 2006

“Millions of Afghans are facing hunger due to harvest failure caused by too little rains last winter and spring,” reports Action by Churches Together (ACT), the global alliance of churches through which we often channel resources. “Food and water scarcity (both drinking and for irrigation) has affected the population adversely. 2.5 million Afghans are facing acute shortage of food due to the drought, in addition to the existing 6.5 million people who are chronically or seasonally food-insecure.”

We often forget just how overwhelming a natural disaster can be in a place where there is already unremitting poverty and hunger. It can be downright catastrophic. Thus, we are responding to this crisis not only because of the current drought, but also because Afghanistan presents chronic long-term needs. Still recovering from past droughts and the recent war and violent conflicts, the country is in dire need of support. Women and children are especially vulnerable, as has always been the case in that area of the world. “Women are suffering the most in meeting the needs of their families, and some families are so hard-pressed that they see the ‘bride price’ as a means of income and are marrying their daughters off early.” Our ecumenical response will focus on “providing water, employment projects, fodder for livestock, as well as livelihood and psycho-social support. It is also planned to create community assets such as water reservoirs and dams to minimize the impact of future droughts,” according to ACT and Church World Service (CWS). Please remember the people of Afghanistan in your prayers.

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Pakistan a Ticking Time Bomb

This week we also remember the one-year anniversary of the October 2005 earthquake in the North West Frontier Province and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in northern Pakistan. Disciples have contributed over $300,000 to earthquake recovery in Pakistan. In the midst of our ongoing efforts, however, our colleagues in the CWS Pakistan-Afghanistan office shared with us the terrifying threat the Himalayan winter promises to present again this year. “As winter approaches the north of Pakistan once again, many of those left homeless by last October’s crippling earthquake are growing increasingly frustrated and newly afraid. Some even consider leaving their mountain villages once again to seek safety in the country’s burgeoning cities.”

Shams Shah Zaman, a quake survivor in the remote village of Khanian, states, “I want to start my life here again, but there is no work. Soon the snow will begin and our tents are too thin to withstand the winter. How are we supposed to live here? The army doesn’t want to let us return to the city, but how can we stay here in the mountains?” There are few organizations that work in these isolated mountain communities, but Church World Service is there and has been for decades. Marvin Pervez, Director of CWS in the region and dear friend of Week of Compassion, asserts that time is running out. “There’s only a small window of time before winter hits, and there will be at least 200,000 people without proper shelter. We can’t count on this winter being mild like last year. We’re faced with a ticking time bomb,” he says.

Disciples will continue to respond to ongoing efforts in the region as well as monitor the situation as the potentially deadly winter approaches. We must not forget these people who are still struggling to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Even though they are no longer on our television screens or in the news, Pakistan/Kashmir faces an ongoing plight which may only get worse.

View a photo essay on the Pakistan earthquake