Scottish Government funding boost to allow women and girls to continue education in flood-hit Pakistan

Women and girls in flood-hit areas of Pakistan will be able to continue their education with minimum disruption through a £500,000 scholarship funding boost from the Scottish Government.

The donation, to the British Council Pakistan Women and Girls Scholarships Programme, will double the number of school and university scholarships available to women and girls in the worst affected areas of the country, which suffered devastating floods last year.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) will also receive £500,000 for humanitarian work in the region. The organisation, which distributes funds to charities working on the ground in the region, is helping to deliver relief efforts after the flooding left millions of people in Pakistan homeless and vast swathes of the country under water.

International development minister Neil Gray said: “The impacts of the climate emergency are hitting countries in the Global South like Pakistan much harder than other areas. Pakistan is one of the Scottish Government’s international development partner countries and this £1 million funding package builds on our previous support to provide immediate relief to those worst affected by last year’s floods.

Internally displaced girls walk beside the flood waters near a makeshift camp in the flood-hit area of Dera Allah Yar in Jaffarabad district of Balochistan province, months after Pakistan was hit with devastating flooding. Picture: AFP via Getty Images

“We know that during a crisis, such as we have seen in Pakistan, the impacts can too often affect women and girls. We hope by doubling the number of school and university scholarships available, this funding for British Council Pakistan will ensure more women and girls can study and help bolster the country’s long term economic recovery.”

Disasters Emergency Committee Scotland external relations manager Huw Owen said: “Whilst there is still significant focus on the Ukraine conflict and the earthquakes in Türkiye and north-west Syria, it is very heartening to get this fresh support from the Scottish Government for our member charities to continue to help millions of people across Pakistan recover from last autumn’s floods.

“After the initial emergency response, this type of extra funding allows DEC member charities and their local partners to maintain and develop the best responses to meet the needs of so many families whose homes and possessions were swamped in the floods. As in many disasters, the news agenda rapidly moves on, but this continued support will allow many more people to rebuild their lives and their livelihoods in the months and years to come.”