More than 80,000 people are feared dead, many still lying in rubble, thousands injured and millions made homeless after a severe earthquake hit areas of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan early on 8 October.
The epicentre of the quake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, was some 90 kilometres north of Pakistan's capital city Islamabad. Several remote villages have been completely reduced to rubble and countless others have been severey damaged. Aid agencies are facing difficulty getting to the remotest areas by road and air transport is in short supply. The cold weather in the highlands and the imminent winter has made the survivors vulnerable to the elements.
UNITED SIKHS volunteers assisted by nearby communities have arrived at the scene of the disaster, to provide high-altitude tents, woollen blankets and other supplies and to run langgar ( community kitchen) camps on the Pakistani and Indian side of the affected areas.
Continuous updates will be issued by UNITED SIKHS. To receive forthcoming bulletins join at PR_UNITEDSIKHS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
UNITED SIKHS has pledged £100,000 to help the disaster relief effort - but we need your support to fulfil this pledge to help tens of thousands of people whose homes and livelihoods have been devastated by the quake.
Please give immediately so that we can get aid to where it is needed NOW.
Field Reports
- 07.11.2005
- Dispatch from Bhai Sahib Esher Singh, UNITED SIKHS Ghanaia Asian Quake Relief Team Leader.
Blogs From the Field
Read Harsharen Kaur's blog from the Earthquake devasted region of Pakistan. Harsharen from London travelled to Kashmir, Pakistan as part of UNITED SIKHS Asian Quake Relief Team.
Click on the UNITED SIKHS blog spot below to see Harsharen's blog.
http://unitedsikhsblogs-harsharen.blogspot.com/
Support
You can give your support to the victims of this latest natural disaster by either donating or volunteering. Please click the appropriate link below.
*Any money we raise above our pledged assistance will be used to respond to other GHANAIA humanitarian relief efforts.
Gallery
GHANAIA Asian Earthquake Relief Gallery
What is GHANAIA
GHANAIA is an international relief effort, established by UNITED SIKHS in 2003 to provide impartial, non-partisan aid and assistance to victims in disaster situations. GHANAIA stands for Giving Humanitarian Aid Necessities Assistance Impartially to All and is inspired by the Sikh saint, Bhai Ghanaia Ji, who served in the army of the 10th Sikh Enlightener, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and gave water and medicine to ailing war soldiers and victims without prejudice, seeing the same God in all beings. For more information on GHANAIA, please e-mail contact@unitedsikhs.org.
