02
Sep
by Justine
If you happened to have been driving down a road in south Sudan lately, you would have seen tens of thousands of recently homeless people camping out alongside the highway. Between 50- and 60,000 people have been forced to flee from massive flooding in the region. Besides being worried about malaria outbreaks, officials are especially concerned about the effect this natural disaster will have on voter registration for a historical upcoming referendum that could split the country in two .

Almost constantly since independence in 1956, the Christians and animists in southern Sudan and the Muslims in the north have been engaged in bloody warfare because of tribal, ideological, religious and ethnic differences. However, a peace treaty signed in 2005 marked a turning point in the conflict as it ended the civil war and proposed a referendum for the south’s independence. In January, citizens will vote on whether the south shall secede from the north – a decision that could mean the beginning of sustained peace, but certainly not the end of hardship. But as 60,000 people are wading through flood waters with no food and no shelter right now, registering to vote will probably be low on their priority lists. Also, more heavy rains are expected in October so the situation could potentially go from bad to worse even with the UN aid that has arrived.
08
Aug
by Justine
In what UN experts are calling the worst flood in 80 years, over 4 million Pakistanis have been affected by the devastating natural disaster ripping through the north-west region of the country right now. The death toll is rising as people lack access to clean water, food and shelter. International aid agencies are swooping in to help those who have just watched their livelihoods, families, and ancestral land swept away in an instant. But the rains continue and disaster relief is still desperately needed- and that’s where you come in. Tonic.com has compiled the following list of organizations that are on the ground in Pakistan and that ask for support in their rescue efforts. I have included the list here in hopes that readers will respond to this appeal for emergency aid in flood-ravaged Pakistan.

- Hillary Clinton announced Wednesday that Americans could text the word “SWAT” to the number 50555 to donate $10 per SMS message to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to provide tents, clothing, food, clean water and medicine to Pakistan.
- American Red Cross seeks to raise $100,000 to aid its Pakistan equivalent — Pakistan Red Crescent — with teams on the ground providing food, other relief items and medical care. To donate, go to their website.
- UNICEF is providing help with water, sanitation, health and nutrition for displaced children and families. To donate, please click here.
- Stamford, Conn.-based AmeriCares is sending medical and other aid to the hardest-hit areas of the flood. Readers can donate through the AmeriCares website.
- CARE needs donations for its health teams, mobile clinics and distribution of food, which will help 100,000 flood victims. To donate, go to their website.
- Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres is providing water, sanitation help, hygiene kits, cooking utensils and other items to Pakistanis. Doctors Without Borders has also prepared itself to care for patients in case of cholera outbreaks. To donate to Doctors Without Borders, give to its emergency fund.
- The International Medical Corps (IMC) has sent mobile medical teams of doctors and paramedics to assist victims in the hardest hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in the northwest. To make a donation to the Santa Monica, Calif. based organization, founded by a UCLA doctor, go to the IMC website. The organization is also seeking doctors, nurses and trained professionals from a wide variety of fields. For more information and to volunteer, visit the Corps’ website.
- Westport, Conn.-based Save the Children, dedicated to helping children worldwide, is already providing medical care, food and shelter kits. To donate to its Pakistan efforts, click here.
- Mercy Corps‘ Pakistan Emergency Fund supports Mercy Corps workers with their efforts in helping displaced families in the hard-hit Swat Valley. Visit the Mercy Corps website to donate to the Pakistan Emergency Fund.
- The World Food Programme, the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger, is supplying food to the tens of thousands affected by the floods. To donate, visit the WFP website.
- Islamic Relief Worldwide, a relief organization based in Birmingham, England, has launched a £2 million (or $3.2 million USD) appeal to deliver clean water, food and health care. You can donate here.
- BRAC has temporarily halted its normal operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to provide relief work. Due to the acute food shortage, BRAC Pakisan has begun to deliver food packets containing such items at rice, lentils, flour and water purification tables. In the immediate future, the team will also be distributing Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) and sending out a medical team to begin assessing health needs. To donate, click here.