‘It’s a catastrophe’: PAD holds donation drive for flood victims

• Pakistan has received unprecedented rainfall, causing floods that have affected 33 million people.
• PAD organization shipped over 42 tonnes of relief aid to the South Asian country over the weekend.
• Relief efforts by the Pakistan Association Dubai are currently focusing largely on accruing tents.

The Pakistan Association Dubai is organizing a fundraising campaign to assist millions of people affected by the country’s devastating floods.

Despite the fact that the organization shipped over 42 tonnes of relief aid to the South Asian country over the weekend, hundreds of UAE citizens continue to give to the cause.

Donations will be gathered and packed at the Pakistan Association Dubai offices in the Oud Metha district, in collaboration with the Dar Al Ber Society.

Over the last few weeks, Pakistan has received unprecedented rainfall, causing floods that have affected 33 million people and killed over 1,300 people. With one-third of the country already submerged, half a million people are at risk.

Relief efforts by the Pakistan Association Dubai are currently focusing largely on accruing tents, dry food items, hygiene kits, blankets, towels, and bedsheets.

“We’ve had a great response from the community so far. Lots of schools and corporations have reached out to us and want to join the campaign,” Faisal Ikram, president of the Pakistan Association Dubai, told The National.

“I was in Pakistan in the 2010 floods and I know the experience of these floods.

“I think this is a much bigger catastrophe than the 2010 floods. One-third of the country is underwater and a lot of these areas are where people depend on crops or cattle for livelihood. It’s going to be a massive effort required to rebuild them.”

Dr. Ikram expects that the donation drive will continue for another two or three months.

More than 200 residents across the UAE have volunteered to help with the campaign, including delivering and packing the relief items.

Abdulla Osama, 21, is one of the volunteers who has been turning up almost daily to pack clothes.

“I feel it’s my duty. What is happening in Pakistan right now is terrible. I want to help as much as I can,” he said.

“I’m happy to come every day and help where it is needed. I’m also very happy to see how many people are volunteering and donating. It’s a great community effort.”

The Pakistan Association Dubai is accepting donations from 9 am to 9 pm, and people have been coming in throughout the day, bringing in boxes filled with relief items.

Dhruv Bhatt is an Indian businessman who brought donations on Monday.

“I’ve brought non-perishables like rice and lentils. We’re trying to do as much as we can by collecting from families and friends,” he said.

“It’s really sad seeing the kind of events that are unfolding there. People are really struggling.”

Pupils from schools across the UAE have created their own packages for the victims, with handwritten notes and small stationary items.

The next step of the program, according to Dr. Ikram, will seek to reconstruct communities.

He also stated that they are collecting cash donations, which would be handled through the Dar Al Ber charity and utilized mostly to restore infrastructure.

“Phase two will include reconstructing people’s homes, villages, schools, tiny hospitals or clinics, and mosques,” he explained.

Since the floods, the UAE has been offering aid to Pakistan.

Hundreds of volunteers assisted in the packing of thousands of essential relief children and food supplies on Saturday.

The “We Stand Together” national community event was hosted at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Dubai Expo City, and the Expo Centre in Sharjah.

By the end of the day, volunteers packed 1.2 tonnes of supplies into 30,000 boxes.

The food supplies included flour, rice, lentils, tomato paste, and oil, while relief kits consisted of essential toiletries for women and children, such as diapers, sanitary pads, and soaps.

The UAE is operating an air bridge to transport humanitarian aid.

On August 27, President Sheikh Mohamed ordered urgent aid to be sent to Pakistan.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also ordered aid worth Dh50 million ($13.6m) be delivered to the country.

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