Pakistan

By the numbers

• Population- 174,578,558
• Size-  Larger than Texas
• Only 50% of the population is literate
• 1.7 million refugees from Afghanistan currently reside in Pakistan
• 24% of the population is below the poverty line
• 23% of children under 5 are underweight for their age due to malnutrition

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Save the Children in Pakistan

Pakistan was created by the 1947 partitioning of British India and has since fought three wars with neighboring India over the disputed Kashmir territory. While tensions have recently eased, Kashmir is the world's most militarized territorial dispute.

To the west, years of unrest and hardship in Afghanistan have led to an influx of refugees to Pakistan. A disaster prone area, Pakistan was most recently hit by the massive October 2005 earthquake, the worst in its modern history. Access to healthcare and education is a challenge primarily in rural areas and many families simply cannot afford basic health care or education. It is likely that today's economic crisis, especially the increase in food prices, will have a widespread negative impact on children's education and health.

Save the Children has worked continuously in Pakistan since 1979 and has served Pakistani children and women as well as Afghan refugee families through relief and long-term development programs. While many development improvements have been made, life for millions of the poorest children and women in Pakistani is still full of hardships.

Pakistan Khyber Conflict: Save the Children teams are on the ground, and have launched a rapid emergency response.

Ongoing fighting between the Government of Pakistan and armed groups in Khyber Agency (north-west Pakistan) has resulted in a mass exodus of families. About 250,000 people - mainly women and children – have already fled the area, with many walking for days. Some are staying in crowded camps but many are staying with extended families that are very poor themselves and struggling to survive and others are staying in rented houses. The numbers are rising rapidly as the tension continues.

The crisis is getting very little international attention and thousands of families are struggling without enough food and shelter.

The situation is becoming increasingly dire for families living in cramped, temporary quarters with little to no income. They need help now.

Women and children fleeing violence are extremely vulnerable. It’s likely to be a terrifying time – many children will have witnessed their homes being destroyed. When families flee, they often leave with very few belongings and they have fled before harvesting their crop which is not ready until May.

Children have also witnessed scenes of destruction and are in need of specialist help to recover. For the past year and a half schooling has been disturbed and children were not able to go to school - some were destroyed by militants and others were dysfunctional due to lack of teachers. Female teachers were not allowed to teach and girl schools have been closed indefinitely. Even in Peshawar, due to lack of financial resources these children will not be able to attend school and face an uncertain future.

Save the Children has worked in Pakistan for over 30 years and moved quickly to launch an emergency response for these families. We are rapidly assessing the needs on the ground and distributing life-saving and life-sustaining supplies such as shelter kits, and food . We have launched an appeal for $9m to reach 200,000 of the most vulnerable children and their families – we intend to be here, working with these families, for at least the next six months.

Last Updated on April 2012