John Cunningham: A plea to remember Pakistan

Published on Friday 13 August 2010 12:59

AS residents of Scotland's capital, we're all accustomed to a little rain. But the flood waters that have hit Pakistan over the last two weeks are in an entirely different league.

We've all heard the statistics: more than a fifth of Pakistan is under water, 14 million people have been affected, and more than 1600 people have died. These numbers are shocking, but donations from across the UK so far have reached only a fraction of the total raised for the earthquake that hit Haiti earlier this year.

So what's the problem? Have we become completely desensitised to the images we see after disasters like these? I don't think so. Working for an aid charity based in Edinburgh but working all over the world, I know that the people of our city, and Scotland as a whole, are astoundingly generous.

In response to the dreadful earthquake that hit Haiti in January, the Evening News helped promote our appeal to help survivors, and together we raised an astounding 430,000. Because of this we could give thousands of Haitians food, water, shelter, and help them make it through the aftermath of the quake.

But I do know that it can be tough, hearing about so many disasters like the floods in Pakistan, to remember that they affect not just a country or a government thousands of miles away, but thousands of individual, ordinary families.

Mercy Corps has been working in Pakistan since 1986. Our teams are based across the country, know the local communities well, and tell us that the extent of the damage is astounding. Whole swathes of land, crops and homes have been swept away, and most roads and bridges destroyed.

I know that times are hard, and the recession has made us all think twice about reaching for our wallets. But if you can, please do donate now to help the people of Pakistan by visiting www.mercycorps.org.uk.

&#149 John Cunningham is from Edinburgh-based Mercy Corps