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WEEKLY
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| Strained hosts? |
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009
One of the most unusual features of the displacement in Pakistan that has been described by the UN as the most rapid, and the most massive, ever seen, has been the generosity extended to the IDPs by ordinary people. Villagers in Mardan district and elsewhere have contributed what they could from their own often meagre reserves, people everywhere have handed over donations in cash and kind, and many people have opened homes to the IDPs. In some cases these people are relatives, but in others they are total strangers. According to humanitarian agencies working for the IDPs, over 3.7 million remain based outside camps. According to the UN, a number of these live in cramped, congested conditions with almost no access to help. While hubs to distribute aid have been set up to cater to IDPs out camps, these are insufficient to meet all needs. Indeed the UK-based Islamic Relief NGO has warned of an outbreak of diarrhoea in some communities due to overcrowding and poor sanitation.
There are also indications that now, over six weeks after the displacement crisis began, many host families are beginning to feel the strain. The UNHCR has reported some IDPs who have recently moved to camps report their hosts were facing financial hardship. This is unsurprising given that impoverished families often supported by a single wage-earner found themselves in many cases supporting up to ten additional people. While the situation at camps has improved and giant organizations such as the Islamabad-based Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) have begun skills-training schemes at camps, the IDP crisis has still to be fully brought under control. Even at camps, there are still many needs that have not been met. We also continue to hear varying accounts of how long the IDP crisis is expected to continue. Regardless of what happens on that front, the IDP need to be taken better care of. Many among them are said already to be disillusioned and depressed. This will have serious repercussions for the future.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
