Background

The devastating flood Yemyin (26th June, 2007) left behind thousand of people homeless in Kech and Gwadar districts of Balochistan, Pakistan. Due to this disaster the most vulnerable groups are women and children who are living in unhygienic and miserable conditions. Soon after the flood the NGOs (local and international) started mobilizing their efforts and relief towards the flood affected areas.

National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) as national NGO working in Balochistan played a pivotal role in the relief efforts in collaboration with the well known donor Rotary Club International. Rotary Club International has provided 100 Emergency Boxes/Life Boxes for flood affected families in Kech District, Balochistan. These Emergency Boxes/Life Boxes contains the basic items to be used in daily life. In affect the generous donation of Rotary Club International enable us to support affected and vulnerable families through distribution of basic required items which protect them from unhygienic condition and provide a full package of safety. Some special and most useful items devices were put into each box, being LifeStraws (6 Drinking Tubes) which filter contaminated water into safe drinking water.

Procedure of Emergency/Life Boxes Distribution

After the disaster NRSP conducted an assessment of affected families of each village then it started its relief operation respectively. From the first day of flood response, NRSP is focusing on most vulnerable groups and assessing their disastrous conditions. Before distribution of Emergency Boxes/Life Boxes, NRSP team identified the target families and registered them then distribution was done accordingly. During distribution preference was given to those affected families where pregnant women and children under 5 years, are found and they are using contaminated water.100 Emergency Boxes/Life Boxes were distributed amongst the 100 flood affected families at 6 different villages in the month of August 2007.

Impact of Emergency/Life Boxes

NRSP has received a very positive impact regarding Emergency/Life Boxes through feed back of beneficiaries. As dire need, approximately all Emergency Boxes/Life Boxes are being used by the affected families especially pregnant women are using Life Straws for safe drinking water according to NRSP team guidelines. Because this catastrophic environment and after effects of flood are creating difficulty for the life of affected population especially main causes of diseases are reported due to contaminated water. At the moment mostly sources of water were damaged and remaining water sources are contaminated and infected especially in two union councils Nasirabad and Nodiz. But where NRSP has distributed Emergency/Life Boxes there cases of disease are reported less than other places.