People's Organization for Peace & Education

Recent News

	Appeal for Humantarian Assistance for the flood affectees of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and Punjab. (Download)

Projects and Activities

Flood Response Program 2010

The heavy monsoon rains and torrential floods in the mid of year 2010, wrecked havoc for the millions of Pakistanis. The floods rendered hundreds of thousands shelter less. Southern districts of Punjab Province were also severely affected. Livestock, standing crops and community infrastructures were all washed away. People in the affected areas lost their abodes and all the belongings they depended upon for earning their livelihoods. Consequently, the displaced population of the province had no other option but to start living in the IDPs camps in deplorable conditions. The lack of health care facilities as well as the deficiency of proper edible commodities added to the miseries of suffering humanity. The cycle of life was completely out of order, as there was no school for the children to go to. The fellow friends they played with, were no where to be seen.

POPE was already functional in the areas of Muzzafargarh and Rajanpur in advocating human rights, peace and education related activities. Having realized the acute need after massive displacement of huge number of population, the organization changed its priorities. All the existing resources of the organization were re-aligned to cope with the emergence and provide relief to affectees.

Primary Health Care Facilities:

The displaced population dwelling in the IDP camps was devoid of the necessary health facilities. Besides the absence of the basic hygiene practices added to the health related problems. Outbreaks of diarrhea and other ailments such as ARIs, skin infections and malnourishment made people languish in the IDP camps. Similarly the pregnant women were forced to undergo excruciating troubles.

POPE started working in the aforementioned two districts from the very first day of the displacement of population. In order to quickly respond to the disease outbreaks the volunteers and activists of POPE went in to the far flung areas and set up 60 mobile clinics in the far flung areas of districts Rajanpur and Muzzafargarh. Around 14,000 OPDs were conducted in the areas. All the required medicines were, free of cost provided to the patients. 69 deliveries of pregnant women were conducted in the labour rooms set up by POPE. The three months long intervention was successful in terms of treating different outbreaks amongst IDPs. The same activity is being upscaled in the severely affected districts of Sindh Province which are still underwater.

Distribution of Edible Items:

One of the major problems especially amongst the children living in IDP camps was malnourishment. The ones who lost all their sources of livelihoods were only dependent upon the food rations they got from relief organizations. Malnourishment amongst the children and the pregnant women was making the situation worse in the camps. People were getting sick of eating unhygienic food. POPE as a matter of priority distributed high energy biscuits amongst the children to cure malnourishment. Hygienic food rations and packages of cooked food were distributed for so long as the population remained in IDP camps. In addition to food and edible items warm clothes, note-books for the children, bangles and hena on both the occasions of eid were distributed to more than 15,000 families in both the districts.

	12 year old Sana lived in a camp of district Rajanpur. “All my hopes were taken away after my house was washed away by the floods. But I see a new hope of life with the new bangles and hena I have got from POPE”. Sana’s father Jam Tabassum had to walk miles on foot after his houses and all the standing crops were deteriorated. He searched for some labour work in the proximity of camp he is living in, with his 7 kids and wife. “I could not even think of buying new bangles to my daughter. She smiled today and my happiness has no bounds having seen a smile on her innocent face” he said. He added that many other like himself were in need of employment opportunities and rebuild their lives. The work done by POPE was appreciated by the Federal Minister of Human Rights. He visited the medical relief camps established by the POPE in Ahmad Kot district Muzaffargarh and also donated an amount of 200, 000 Rupees.

“This is the time for all of us to stand up and unite with the organizations like POPE in order to join our hands together, in order to ameliorate the conditions of suffering humanity” said Syed Mumtaz Alam Gillani. POPE has sustained all its operations in the flood affected areas with the assistance of volunteers and friends who pooled up their personal resources to take maximum help to the affected population.

Upgradation Of Relief Activities

As part of the programme, POPE is now aiming to build the community infrastructures including primary and secondary health care facilities as well as the schools in the flood affected areas. Self-employment opportunities and life skills training sessions are being imparted. Donations and grants will be requested to start on resurrection of community infrastructure development and enhancement of skills amongst the affected villagers so that they may have their opportunities for livelihoods.