SINGAPORE: Charity organisation Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF), in collaboration with the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) and mosques in Singapore, has raised more than S$430,000 to support the communities affected by the ongoing floods in Pakistan.
The fundraising initiative was held from Aug 31 to Sep 14 to support the immediate needs of the communities affected by the floods. Aid is required in the form of food, emergency shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene items.
A total of S$432,852 was raised, the foundation said in a press release on Wednesday (Oct 19).
The collected funds will be channelled through the Singapore Red Cross which is working with various organisations and partners to deliver aid to affected communities in Pakistan.
Mr Muhammad Faizal, CEO of RLAF, said that this was the highest amount the foundation has raised for a humanitarian effort this year.
“While this sum may not amount to what is required for the extensive recovery efforts in Pakistan, we hope that this will provide some relief in alleviating the immediate needs of the affected communities,” he added.
“RLAF’s most recent fundraising efforts for the 2022 Pakistan Floods will provide tangible aid for the affected, as the communities face complex and multi-faceted challenges,” said Secretary General and CEO of SRC, Mr Benjamin William.
More than 1,700 people have died and 33 million have been affected by floods caused by heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan.
Hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced are in dire need of support in terms of food, shelter, clean drinking water, toilets, and medicines.
Many have been sleeping in the open by the side of elevated highways.
As of September, the floods have killed 8 million animals and destroyed about 809,000 hectares of crops – 90 per cent of the country’s crops have perished.
Flooded areas have become infested with diseases including malaria, dengue fever, diarrhoea and skin problems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 5,000km of roads and railways are severely damaged. The lack of mobility in the immediate future will challenge the delivery of aid and medical supplies to village households.
The torrential monsoon, which submerged huge swathes of Pakistan, was a one-in-a-hundred-year event likely made more intense by climate change, said scientists.