The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Islamic Relief have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support the flood affected communities of Sindh province. Both organizations will pool their efforts to help the people of Sindh in rehabilitation and reconstruction of their destroyed homes and infrastructures. According to the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report released by the Planning Ministry, 33 million people have been affected by the recent floods.

The total loss to the economy is more than USD 30 billion and many millions of people have been pushed below the poverty line. The recent floods have affected the poorest segments of society very hard. The districts of Balochistan and Sindh, where floods have caused the greatest destruction, have an average poverty rate of 31% against the national average of 21.9%. UNDP and Islamic Relief will create cash-for-work opportunities for the affected people.

In the initial phase of the program, 10,000 cash-for-work hours have been set with special emphasis on the inclusion of women. Rehabilitation schemes for the destroyed livelihoods will start after their identification in selected districts. UNDP Pakistan’s Resident Representative Knut Ostby said, “we will revive livelihoods of millions of people in alignment with UNDP’s Flood Recovery Vision.

We will also redevelop the critical infrastructure destroyed in the floods.” Country Director of Islamic Relief Pakistan Asif Sherazi said that no one was prepared for such disastrous floods. “The scale of devastation is unprecedented. Islamic Relief will collaborate with any organization willing to help the people of Sindh in these perilous times. We have a strong community network which will help us to reach the neediest in time.”The collaboration between UNDP and Islamic Relief is a strand of their global and regional partnerships in building resilience in conflict-affected areas.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk