When the Canadian government announced it would match individual donations for Pakistan in a Pakistan Floods Relief Fund from Aug. 2 to Oct. 3, Presbyterians responded. More than $147,000 had been donated to Presbyterian World Service and Development by the time the Record went to press in mid-September.
As of Aug. 30, the floods had destroyed an estimated 3.5 million houses, leaving approximately 4.6 million people homeless, according to the United Nations.
The rebuilding process is slow, even for skilled workers, as prices for housing materials more than doubled after the floods. Through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the ACT Alliance, PWS&D is supporting more than 150,000 people in Pakistan with food, shelter, emergency supplies, health care, and cash-for-work initiatives. — A.M. with files from PWS&D
