FROM THE FIELD
AmeriCares sent an emergency airlift of medicines and medical supplies to refugee camps in Pakistan for families displaced by violence between the government and Taliban militants. The bloody conflict has now spread beyond the embattled Swat Valley to the rest of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan. It is estimated that as many as 1.8 million innocent people will be forced to flee their homes. Our emergency airlift includes critical supplies needed for safe surgeries and wound care. Pain relievers and medications for people with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, are also included. Thousands of families arrive at the camps each day, many in need of medical care. "Sadly, many of these weary people have been injured in the conflict. Some even have open wounds from the bombings," reports an AmeriCares relief worker on the ground in Pakistan. "Others walked barefoot for over 30 miles from the war zone that was once their home, their feet raw and covered with cuts." Read more of this report from the field » In January, as part of AmeriCares ongoing work with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Pakistan, a shipment of medical supplies was delivered - more than half of which was sent to the Swat Valley where they are currently being used in hospitals and clinics treating civilians wounded in the conflict. Since 1982, AmeriCares has delivered nearly $47 million in assistance to Pakistan. In 2005 when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake left three million people homeless in Pakistan, AmeriCares provided emergency aid, supported the rebuilding of local health centers and established a state-of-the-art field hospital, which continues to treat patients today. Help AmeriCares Saves Lives in Pakistan and Around the World »[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
