WESTPORT, Conn. (May 13, 2009) — Save the Children is appealing for worldwide public support as it launches a broad relief effort to assist hundreds of thousands of children and families forced from their homes and villages by intensified fighting in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). Follow us on Twitter for updates on this story.

A young girl displaced by conflict in Pakistan's Swat Valley. Credit: REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood courtesy alertnet.org

“We are seeking up to $10 million from public and private sources worldwide to support our immediate relief efforts including activities in the areas of health, education and child protection,” said Ned Olney, a director of Save the Children emergency response programs.

According to U.N. agencies, nearly 500,000 people have fled their communities in the Swat Valley in the last 10 days, bringing the total number of children and adults who have fled conflict in northwestern Pakistan to well over one million since August, 2008. 

Many new families on the run have fled their homes with few possessions. Save the Children staff members report that these families have no bedding, no kitchen supplies, no food, not even containers to store water. Because little fuel remains available in the affected areas, most families must walk up to two days to reach safety, carrying babies and small children along the way. 

Reuniting Families

Among the many displaced people are youngsters who have been separated from their parents and family members, as well as children who have witnessed the horrors of war, including seeing their relatives or neighbors killed in front of them, and children with torn and bleeding feet who have had to walk up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) to escape the fighting. 

Babies and young children are at the greatest risk of serious illness, staff members say. Among the major health concerns is acute diarrhea from unsanitary conditions in overcrowded houses and camps. 

Military operations have caused thousands to flee from their homes.  Credit: REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood courtesy alertnet.org

Save the Children is focusing its efforts on separated children, women-headed households, families with children under 5, and families that include an injured or chronically ill family member. In its first days on the ground, Save the Children has begun distributing household and hygiene kits, which include a stove and gas, a grill, kettle, cooking and eating utensils, water jugs, lanterns, floor mats, combs, soap, detergent and sanitary cloth.

“Our efforts are part of a coordinated response and in partnership with the government of the Northwest Frontier Province and local authorities,” said Olney. “We will be working to ensure that children and families affected by the crisis receive emergency assistance, including health services and hygiene and household supplies. The agency also will work to provide protection and education programs for children in camps or temporary shelters,” he said. 

Save the Children has worked in Pakistan for more than 25 years — helping to improve the lives and well-being of Afghan refugees and Pakistani children and women. The agency has a strong portfolio of health, education and emergency response programs, while continuing to address the needs of Afghan children and families who remain in Pakistan. Save the Children also is continuing to work in areas affected by the 2005 earthquake.

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Save the Children needs your support to help meet the most critical needs of children and families who are fleeing the violence in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. Your donation will help provide drinking water, food distribution and other necessities.  

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Save the Children is the leading independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 27 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.