Pakistan floods
Above: Flooding in Pakistan in September 2022. Photo: CARE
In August 2022, Pakistan experienced unprecedented flooding, leaving 20.6 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. As of early 2023, the flood waters had still not fully receded in many parts of the country.
Over 8 million people in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been displaced. There has been significant damage to infrastructure including houses, roads, hospitals and schools and loss of livestock and agriculture. Afghan refugees are also among those affected.
The floods have compounded pre-existing food security and nutrition issues, particularly for children. Pakistan has the third highest incidence of acute child malnutrition globally, and as the floods continue to disrupt the country’s agricultural production, costs for supplies and transport continue to rise.
In response, the Australian Government has provided AUD 5.2 million in humanitarian funding to support flood activities in Pakistan, in partnership with the World Food Programme and Marie Stopes. An additional AUD 1.5 million has been provided to the Australian Humanitarian Partnership to support food security and nutrition, particularly during the longer-term recovery.
The AHP response
Above: An elderly woman displaced by the floods receives essential household supplies at a distribution in August 2022. Photo: CARE
The AHP response in Pakistan focuses on nutrition, food security, livelihoods and indebtedness issues in Mitiari district, a community in Sindh Province severely affected by the catastrophic 2022 floods.
The response is being led by CARE Australia in partnership with local NGO, the Shifa Foundation.
High numbers of people in Mitiari are still internally displaced after the floods, and poor food access and affordability is having considerable impacts on most households. Some 46% of children in the district are underweight, with 47% experiencing stunting and 24% experiencing wasting. 67% of households have reported a lack of money to buy food, and 67% also report having taken on debts to address their basic needs.
Through the response, vulnerable households will be supported with direct cash transfers, agriculture and livestock inputs and support for kitchen gardening activities to reduce household expenditure on food, while increasing food production for consumption and sale.
Mobile teams will also screen children, adolescents and pregnant and lactating women for malnutrition, provide treatment for those affected with supplements and therapeutic foods, and refer those who need further medical care to appropriate providers. Support and advice will be provided to caretakers on infant and child nutrition.
The response is aiming to reach more than 117,000 people in the affected district over a 12-month period.