Xoopla.com

The flood waters are receding and international aid has increased many-fold. Things remain bleak however as stories of the millions of refugees in the big cities come in, stories of refugees who haven’t been reached by any sort of aid through any organization become realized, stories of mass devastation and the now rather overwhelming task of rebuilding this country face us. How do you feel with regards to helping out now?

Ten of us started a movement here nearly 2 months ago. We managed to raise over $21,000 here in Montreal (over $26000, if you consider CIDA matching donations before October 3rd) with major events still coming up. It is by no means a large amount, but it is an amount that has affected the lives of many individuals and families. One of the issues with major disasters is the feeling of apathy that sets in, an apathy that just permeates from the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ phenomenon – which is even more so influential in foreign countries and their people because the crisis was never even in actual sight in the first place. What can one focus on now to stir emotion, to stir movement and to stir the compassions of an undoubtedly compassionate community?

In our last few endeavours fundraising on the streets, an initiative which resulted in most of our raised funds, we noticed this apathy flowing through the populace. We won’t say it permeated through everyone, many had already donated, many politely refused and wished us luck, and many who just offered up a smile helping us to maintain our spirits as we fought through the masses asking for help for a desperate country. A large majority of people however had no idea anymore and wouldn’t even give us a moment to speak. This is not their fault of course, people get harassed day in day out by requests of donations and unless the feeling of ‘crisis’ and ‘must help’ exists then there is little reason they would stop their daily routines and help out. We saw our resultant daily donations from these efforts drop from an average of $1400 a day to below $400. The number is still significant, but it saps out encouragement from volunteers who have been breaking their backs each of these days. The resultant revenues generated were what kept them motivated and made everyone feel like “today was good, we did well, let us go out, let’s do it again.” New volunteers were also thinly available because of the beginning of school and added responsibilities of job hunting and studying for aptitude tests.

One thing that seems to create a loss of hope is also what people perceive as the international cold shoulder. I will say that the international community has helped a considerable amount, as delayed as their compassions took, the help is considerably huge. It is simply not a criticism to point out how much they did elsewhere and how much they have done for Pakistan. Pakistanis, internationally are themselves responsible for the movements and lobbying of their governments and communities to emphasise the importance of helping those in need in Pakistan – this goes especially for students. Most aid all throughout history has ‘never’ come from the government. It has always been the people of a country who have been the most generous. This applies for Norway, Canada, the EU and it applies for the United States.

To digress a moment - comparisons with other crises I personally find are just morally repugnant. The general truth is that we tend to turn a cold shoulder towards the needs of the international community. When you show apathy or a lack of compassion towards the world, a prevalent disrespect of another country’s issues by either trivializing them or stating that your own issues are greater than anyone else’s, and then maintain a stance of ‘why are you not helping us?’ take a moment to reflect as well. This is not just the politics in Pakistan, this is about a lot of us with our swollen prides, proclamations and propaganda of being Pakistani. Respect and compassion is a two way street. Understand that and please don’t trivialize anyone, anywhere else. I say this with all due respect, it’s just an honest moment and it is not pointing a finger at anyone. Our efforts have relied heavily on the compassion shown by people from all over, people from countries that need considerable help as well, and rest assured when they are in need we will be there for them.

Moving on from that digression - The Pakistan Flood Victims Relief Efforts group never considered itself a significant movement. We still don’t. We know what we’ve done is only due to the dedication and passion of our volunteers, it is because of keeping an open mind and letting our projects evolve over time based on present facts and news, it is based on critical thought, an allowance for dispute and discussion within our own ranks and lastly because of our need to just move. Move and do something.

Fundraising on the streets seems to have lost its popularity with our crew, but here’s to an idea which proved itself to be more successful than we thought it could be. Close to $13000 raised simply through a great amount of dedication shown by fantastic volunteers, communicating with the public, speaking about the crisis with them, telling them what we’re doing, creating affiliations with organizations on the ground, and not to mention all the contacts we generated - it was all very important to help the cause achieve whatever it has achieved so far.

Our next few events will still be targeting fundraising for emergency food and medical supplies however, we have proposals put forward by a number of organizations now and are presently on the lookout for several projects. Rebuilding is now a key part of our function. Sustainability is key. Hereon I’m going to list some of the ideas that have come forth:

LifeStraw Family and Lifesaver Jerrycans. Water filtration systems that provide for clean drinking water using the latest in filtration technologies. Both of these systems have filters which prevent viruses and bacteria with Lifesaver being much more effective with its 15nm pores as opposed to LifeStraw with its 15micron pores. Both last for about 20,000 litres of water as well, and then the filter needs replacement. Both also provide a family of five with 15 litres of water a day for up to 3 years. The difference is cost effectiveness which LifeStraw trumps Lifesaver on. When it comes to disease prevention however, there is absolutely nothing better than Lifesaver Jerrycans extremely nanoscopic filtration pores. However, this requires more research into the major threats in Pakistan right now with regards to the diseases the most risky and which filtration system can handle those most effectively at least cost.Distribution networks are also a big concern as we would want to help as many affected regions as we can.

Lifesaver Jerrycan - $200 each

LifeStraw Family - $20 each

The Architectural Society of Pakistan proposed a housing project, and although it isn’t entirely the best option for developing homes due to certain feudal lord disputes, what the real question here is finding projects for redeveloping villages. We have offers to consider and funding small micro projects like these are absolutely essential. I wrote about the importance of shelter in another article not online, but I will emphasise the importance of creating security and rejuvenating hope. Peace of mind when it comes to attaining a sturdy roof on your head and solid walls around you is something so necessary for continuing one’s daily life that without it people can lose all hope of any kind of decent future.

A friend of mine, Ibrahim Shamsi, recently wrote to me about his company providing for low cost, high quality blankets. Each blanket costs about Rs. 575 ($7) and they are distributed through extremely reliable channels. With involvement already from German and Swiss companies and the Pakistan Army this is also something to consider as a target for donations. Setting goals for a number of blankets and achieving them is a small project on its own.

The point of the above three suggestions is to create focussed projects, goals and also to generate efficiency and motivation. These are all projects we are going to be considering from the 8th of October onwards (after Miraas) and this is not to say they are ‘one against the other’ but it is to say that all such endeavours are already viable options and projects to look into and all of them deserve at least some degree of help.

So again, just because the floods are receding and the news is out of sight and more or less out of mind for most people, I will emphasise the importance of sustainable rebuilding. I will emphasise the importance of consistently showing compassion and resolve towards helping those in need – no matter where on earth they may be. My priority right now, as part of this group is with helping those in Pakistan, and pushing those who can help to do so, and so I urge you to take a moment, take many moments, pick up your ideas and your small change, and help. There is just so much potential in every single one of you to do so much, you just need to move. So get up, contact us, contact anyone, just move.

To make a donation to the Pakistan Flood Victims Relief Efforts: Contribute Now

For information about our events so far and upcoming events: Events

Amid onlookers in cars who honked and cried out in support for how necessary student movements are for changes to occur in society, twenty students walked the streets of Montreal bearing flags and banners. It was not a protest, but it was a symbol. A symbol to depict that even though the odds are tremendously against any favorability towards the government of Pakistan and towards garnering immense sympathy for Pakistani flood victims, that this student effort will remain united and indefatigable when faced with these challenges. However, if only alleviation and world views with regards to Pakistanis were being affected as positively as our spirits in Montreal hoped they would be.

Intriguingly, in cricket we have the beguiling Shahid Afridi, a phenomenally popular Pakistani cricketer attempting to raise funds through dinners across the Gulf and we have the Pakistani and English cricket teams who today donated part of their match fees towards the aiding the flood victims. In music we have the mystical Salman Ahmed attempting to raise funds for the victims through song, both EP and Strings have released songs about uniting and taking control of our own fates and we have the once munda Fakhar e Alam providing public service messages on how you can help with the provision of goods and news about PIA’s free service towards aiding the flood victims. Our government however acts minimally. Our overfunded army is thinned out. And our population? 20m affected by the floods, 120m unmoved.

A fifth of our country is flooded. We hear news every day about the tragic occurrences back in Pakistan. Even during the floods we have people back home who go out of their way to mercilessly beat two boys to death in a public square, we have people who look on without so much as a glancing sympathetic vote as people take refuge on the streets in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, and we have a government unfettered and uninspired to take responsibility for its people. I have never heard of a more sorry state of affairs in any country in the few years I have been around to witness this world. World aid has thankfully increased fourfold in pledges and commitments, but motions are slow. More than two weeks after the floods have devastated the Northern Areas of Pakistan as well as the Southern areas along the Indus, aid is still slow and under consideration (just because it is from India). Afghanistan...Afghanistan was generous enough to donate $1m.

In Canada, radio stations are calling inquiring about why we are not raising funds for the Red Cross in Canada and why we choose to support aid agencies in Pakistan. In Canada, the coverage for the floods has increased, however it seems to take this tenor of this being a plight for ‘Muslims’(note to not humanize the people) and how Montrealers (also members of local mosques) are helping in this holy month of Ramadan. The coverage in the media has been a load of nonsense, loaded with terrific amounts of media-centric moneymaking sham reporting.

We students need support from all other students, we need to coordinate, and we need to align our efforts. No one cares that you have school or are apartment hunting or are tired from work or are job hunting. Everyone is. None of that is relevant in light of the tragedies faced back home right now. If you do not do everything you possibly can, then I can’t be certain how deep your apathy/ego runs, and that on its own is a sad, sad reality.

We need the support of our communities, our officials, and that universal and/or contemporary code of ethics that really should be reread to emphasize that when there are people in the dire straits these 20m Pakistanis are, when there are 4m children at risk of disease, we must act and we must not be satisfied with our ‘text’ to the Red Cross. We must make sure we follow the news and stay aware, we must make sure we pursue information and help as much as we can. The world at this moment is in peril, but no place right now faces as murky a future as Pakistan. Help, and help continuously. Nothing is more important than your awareness.

PS. To clarify, we are not against the Red Cross, but we are aware of their relatively high administrative costs. Considering as a group we have raised only $10,000 – if 10% ($1000) of that (on their average) goes towards administrative expenditures – then that is a 10% we can absolutely not afford to lose. Local organizations are working primarily as volunteers now and also under lower administrative costs.

- Osman Siddiqi

For the past three days a whole bunch of us have been fundraising for seven hours a day on the streets of Montreal. We have also been selling baked goods and popsicles to people.

The success of these past three days can be illuminated by the funds we have raised, the contacts we have made, and the media coverage we have had. It is great to see the Montreal population caring so much about the floods and also seeing the media attempting to give life to this movement to help raise funds for the cause as well. A lot of people we met were very concerned about the cause and it was fantastic to see how much interest they took in what we are doing and also what we are trying to achieve, which is to generate funds, but more importantly to create awareness and attain some serious momentum for raising funds for the flood victims in Pakistan.

We have managed to solicit through fundraising activities and online donations a total of more than $5000 in the past three days. More than half of the money has already been sent in to Nur Foundation, Liaquat National Hospital and Sungi Development Foundation. Also, we have had interviews with CBC Radio and CTV National which should hopefully provide the cause with a lot of momentum.

We have to be reminded about the catastrophe that Pakistan is facing at the moment and it is the sole driving factor for our hardworking team of over 30 volunteers working day in day out on this movement. On August 14^th, Pakistan’s independence will be celebrated, but there is no point in time that I can recollect during which Pakistanis have been more in need and more dependent on the conscience and generosity of international support, which can only be garnered by an unfettered persistence to keep pushing every single day to present the urgent needs of Pakistanis. They lay suffering in the rain on the streets, under bridges, with their children, with no shelter, with no money, with no food, with no clean water, while the rains pour and floods gain further impetus.

To the students, to the youths - in Canada, in North America, in Europe, in Pakistan, in South Asia and all over the world; at this point in time you are the ONLY ones who can drive this initiative and help it succeed. Movements are made of collective efforts, and it is only through collective efforts that indifference can be shaken, and unconcerned authorities have their action revamped. Put in your time, put in all your efforts and we can make a massive difference in the lives of millions of people. 15 million people have been affected. A billion dollars worth of crops have been destroyed. Barrages, dams, bridges have been destroyed and further damage is expected. Further loss of life is expected. Disease will spread. Hunger will strike. In the end however, we must realize that we have the strength, capacity, and unity to alleviate all these troubles.

We urge everyone – no, we demand that everyone help out the people of Pakistan. Pakistanis, who have suffered endlessly because of the floods for over ten days, who have suffered at the hands of relentless blind terrorism and an inconsiderate government that assigns endless bureaucratic roles, but takes little actual responsibility, these Pakistanis need the compassion, the kindness and the charity that the whole world can exhibit.

A CBC Report from August 9^th illustrates the strong concerns with regard to the Canadian response, especially those of Pakistani Canadians.

Also to see a tiny segment about our team working on the streets of Montreal click here.

Posted by Osman at 7:47 PM