• Thousands of people fleeing conflict between army and rebels in Swat valley
• Most fled to impoverished host communities where resources are stretched
• Families abandoned crops just weeks before harvest; livestock, homes also lost

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (May 15, 2009)—As the number of displaced civilians in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province continues to grow, World Vision is warning that the majority who fled their homes (85 per cent) are living in host communities where basic services like water, sanitation, health and education were already limited.

In one of the first trips by the relief, development and advocacy organization near Pakistan’s conflict zone this week, World Vision found the main concern among those internally displaced was the long-term hospitality of their hosts—along with crops they had to abandon, now spoiling in the fields.

“One father told me, ‘If we don’t get back to our homes by the end of May, we’ll lose our agriculture—and our livelihood—for the year,’” said World Vision’s National Director in Pakistan, Graham Strong, who led the rapid assessment team to Buner District. “These families have lost their only source of income, along with livestock and homes destroyed by shelling. They don’t know how they’ll feed their children when they return.”

“Another key concern for displaced families is how long they’ll be welcome in host communities,” said Strong, who is a Canadian from Alberta. “These villages were destitute before the arrival of the refugees. Now, basic services like health, education and water and sanitation that were stretched before are reaching their breaking point.”

World Vision plans to start distributing emergency items to 200 families this week, but is concerned that lack of funds for this emergency may limit its plans to provide aid to thousands more over the next six months.

World Vision has also seen cases of respiratory infections, scabies and diarrhea in displaced children and adults. Malaria is also a concern.

More than half of the displaced—now estimated at more than one million—are women and children, who are most vulnerable in terms of health and protection.

However, some of the displaced told World Vision they worry they may have to move on from villages that have welcomed them: “We feel so vulnerable right now. How long will the hosts want to keep us?” asked one father of three who fled to Dagai Village in Buner District in the North West Frontier Province.

“The Pakistani people are responding very generously to the needs of their neighbors who have fled the conflict,” said Strong. “But with such a strain on scarce resources, there is potential for conflict over time. So it’s critical for relief groups to meet the needs of not only the displaced, but also the communities hosting them.”

World Vision has operated in Pakistan since 1992. World Vision does not have child sponsorship programs in the country. Communities in five districts of Pakistan benefit from our intervention targeting health, water and sanitation, education, and psychosocial support. World Vision Canada funds more than $780,000 in projects that focus on community farming for families, child rights which ensures that children have access to quality services, and improvement in the standard of living after the earthquake that hit Pakistan in October 2005.

For those wishing to donate to humanitarian emergencies such as the one in Pakistan, please visit WorldVision.ca or call 1-800-268-5528 to contribute to an emergency preparedness fund.

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.


To interview World Vision staff, please contact:

Yoko Kobayashi
905-565-6200 ext. 2151
416-671-0086 (cell)
yoko_kobayashi@WorldVision.ca

Alex Sancton
905-565-6200 ext. 3949
416-419-1321 (cell)
alex_sancton@WorldVision.ca