WESTPORT, Conn. (May 29, 2009) — Children and families displaced by conflict in northwestern Pakistan are facing increasingly difficult living conditions and decreasing options as the crisis drags on, according to a recent assessment by Save the Children. Follow this story and others on Twitter.

The global humanitarian agency, in a survey of children and parents who have sought refuge in the North West Frontier Province, found that hygiene issues, cramped living conditions and the financial strain of living far from home and work are increasing the vulnerability of children.

A young girl displaced by the conflict carries drinking water. Credit: REUTERS/Ali Imam, courtesy www.alertnet.org

More than 2.38 million people — including over 1.7 million children — have fled the conflict since May 2. The vast majority, over 80 percent of them, are not living in camps established for the fleeing population.

Save the Children's survey of families living outside of camps found that about half of those were living with extended families and about 30 percent were living with strangers, none of whom were expecting rent but who had few resources to spare. About 12 percent were living in school buildings. A small percentage were renting accommodations.

"While most families are not currently paying rent and are treated as guests, they told us they do not expect that to last," said Ned Olney, Save the Children's vice president for global humanitarian response. "They have already been displaced for a month — and that does not look likely to change in the near term. So their resources and ability to care for their children are increasingly strained. This means that families will face difficult choices regarding what they can feed their children, whether to seek health care or send their children to school, or if they just chance it and go home."

People Living Without Basic Necessities

People are living without basic necessities. Credit: REUTERS/STR courtesy www.alertnet.org

Health and hygiene issues also are of concern because of limited sanitation infrastructure and sweltering temperatures. Save the Children's assessment found that 50 percent of households sheltering displaced families do not have latrines for men, and 30 percent of households do not have latrines for women.

Working primarily outside of camps, Save the Children is assisting separated children, women-headed households, families with children under 5 or pregnant women, and families that include an injured or chronically ill family member.

The agency has provided more than 30,000 people, among them 19,000 children, with essential supplies — including a water bucket, flashlight, cooking and eating utensils, sleeping mats, soap, toothbrushes and washcloths. Save the Children also has provided medical assistance to more than 4,100 people, and has established eight child-friendly spaces.

Save the Children has worked in Pakistan for more than 30 years — helping improve the lives and well-being of Afghan refugees and Pakistani children and women through health, education and emergency response programs.

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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.