dcpak - South Asia Earthquake Response

Request for Doctors

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 22:13:15 -0500

There is a desperate need for doctors, nurses and medics in the quake affected areas including the camps.

United Pakistan
The Omar Asghar Ali Khan Foundation
National Rural Support Programs

These three organizations will provide lodging/transport/etc for any medical personnel that can spare time and provide their services.

The most specific and dire need is for Female Gynecologists and other female medical specialists.

Relief efforts and media/donor fatigue...

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 22:39:22 -0500

I have a lot to say about the topic, but would rather divert your attention to my blog, which I just recently updated with a link to an article I wrote about a great fundraiser I attended in New York City.

You can read it here:

http://zeeshansuhail.blogspot.com/

Thanks and good luck with your endeavors!

Zeeshan

Save Pakistan from 'Donor Fatigue'

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 16:47:43 -0500

From Christian Science Monitor

By Karl F. Inderfurth, David Fabrycky, and Stephen P. Cohen
WASHINGTON - Time is running out for tens of thousands of survivors of the 7.6 earthquake that devastated parts of Pakistan on Oct. 8, claiming more than 73,000 lives and leaving 3 million homeless. Winter is fast approaching. Experts believe 1 million people are at risk of hypothermia. Two hundred thousand villagers in more remote areas may soon be cut off by snow. A "second wave" of deaths from cold, hunger, and disease is feared.

A Day on the Hill

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 13:13:03 -0500

Start: Nov 17 2005 - 9:00am

End: Nov 17 2005 - 6:00pm

Start: Nov 17 2005 - 9:00am

End: Nov 17 2005 - 6:00pm

Description: PAL-C (Pakistani American Leadership Center), PAKPAC (Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee), APPNA (Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America), Rising Leaders, National PSA, OPEN (Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America (National), NAPA (National Association of Pakistani Americans, PAANA (Pakistani American Association of North America), COPAA (Council of Pakistani American Affairs) and PAC (Pakistani American Congress)

Lobby for Tents, Helicopters and Medical Aid

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 09:40:20 -0500

From saquake.org

We URGENTLY need more helicopters to airlift survivors and fly relief supplies, tents to provide shelter from the cold, and medical care for the sick and wounded. Please help us lobby your congressperson, President Bush and NATO to send more aid. Winter is only a few weeks away! Enter your zip code to submit a quick and simple petition.

Spare a scream for the 100,000 dead and 3 million homeless

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 09:31:02 -0500

From saquake.org

Please sign petition to the media to provide coverage for the earthquake!

Scream.

Spare a scream for the 100,000 dead and 3 million homeless, muted out of world media.

Send Tents and Winterized Bedding

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 09:27:57 -0500

From saquake.org

The most urgent priority need on the ground right now is for shelter and warmth. Below is a list of resources on donating tents - Please keep in mind that tents should be 'winterized' and water-proof, accomodate at least 5-8 people and where possible, should have some bathroom facility

Petition for Earthquake Coverage on Oprah

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 09:20:44 -0500

Sign Petition Now

The purpose of this petition is to request Oprah to do a show on the recent earthquake in South Asia and the havoc that it has caused to millions of people left without enough shelter to survive through the severe winter season. This event has not gotten nearly the kind of media coverage it deserves, especially since a lot can still be done to save the 3.3 million lives that could be lost over the next few months. We think an Oprah show on the earthquake aftermath and how people can contribute could help turn the situation around...

"Oxfam also said the United States... had given less than one fifth of their fare share - calculated according to the relative size of their economy as a proportion of the total from major industrialized countries" -- Associated Press

"It is not right to sit with the money for reconstruction for one year from now if it is a question of whether people will still be alive" -- Jan Egeland, head of U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

"We are racing against time to shield the victims from cold weather in the mountainous region" -- Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan

Worldwide Vigil for the Victims and Survivors of the South Asian Earthquake

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 17:45:58 -0500

Start: Nov 8 2005 - 6:30pm

Description:

To grieve for lives lost, provide hope to those still struggling to survive, and draw the world’s attention to the work that still needs to be done.

Join the Washington DC vigil so our individual voices can
be one loud message of support, hope and action.

DC Relief Effort

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 17:35:56 -0500

The news for the past few days is that JFK is filled beyond capacity with donated goods and that PIA is having to turn back donations.

The DC area community, led by Azar Abbasi, Farah Chohan and a large number of volunteers have been spending their weekends loading and unloading donations from the community.

Doctors Focusing on Urgency of Transporting Donations

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 05:25:30 -0500

WASHINGTON: A group of doctors from Georgetown University Hospital and other areas is appealing for urgent donations to send vital supplies to the quake-hit area.

The 25-doctors group, which returned last week from Pakistan after making an urgent trip there, says in a note to the National Council of Pakistani Americans (www.ncpa.info) that tones of important items are decaying at New York’s JFK airport due to the non-availability of cargo space on PIA flights.

Artificial Limbs (Prosthetics) for Pakistan

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 05:56:14 -0500

My name is Usman and I work as an International Trade Analyst for a law firm in Washington, DC.

As you may know, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck close to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on 8 October. The earthquake has cause widespread destruction in the area and has affected many in India and Pakistan. There are now reports of over 50,000 confirmed deaths and devastation that may take a decade to repair. The World Food Programme says some 500,000 people in remote areas have received no aid at all. One of the biggest problems is meeting the demand for tents that can provide shelter as the cold weather worsens.

I have been involved in the relief effort - both in terms of raising funds and collecting/shipping goods and supplies to Pakistan. My family, working out of Pakistan, has recently informed me that an area overlooked is the need for Artificial Limbs for Victims. The Federal Health Minister, Muhammad Nasir Khan, has reiterated government's decision not to send any injured person of the earthquake abroad for treatment. This means that any demand for artificial limbs will be met by imports and possible local production. Therefore, I am writing to you to find out if you, or someone you know, would be interested in setting up an artificial limb manufacturing facility in Pakistan for the benefit of the earthquake victims.

There are a few specific things I need help with:

Urgent $2,500 Donation Requested

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 10:55:19 -0500

Today through the efforts of Azar Abbasi, his team of volunteers and PDC member support we have been able to mobilize an effort to transport one container full of Relief Items for victims of the Pakistan Earth Quake. JFK is flooded with Relief Items bound for Pakistan and we are having problems with our container shipment. However Azar Abbasi is in New York today negotiating with PIA to ensure that the container gets on a PIA flight headed for Pakistan where the folks from Rural Support Network (www.rspn.org) are waiting to receive the Relief Items consignment.

Reconciling Donations

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 12:42:17 -0500

Visit this section to find out how you can help continue to support the relief effort.

I've spent the last few days working with a large number of enthusiastically dedicated individuals who have been sorting out thousands of boxes of donations, transferring them from ADAMS to a warehouse and onto a tractor-trailor.

We've had to turn away a large number of donors. Some have been sending in regular clothes and an unusual odd assortment of utterly unnecessary goods. Now only tents, medical supplies and blankets are being accepted; no exceptions.

Support HR4073: Grant Temporary Protected Status to Nationals of Pakistan

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 09:14:35 -0500

A new bi-partisan bill (HR 4073) introduced in the House is asking to “designate Pakistan under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit nationals of Pakistan to be eligible for temporary protected status….”

According to the bill temporary protected status allows aliens who do not legally qualify as refugees but are nonetheless fleeing or reluctant to return to potentially dangerous situations to temporarily remain in the United States.

The bill states: “Granting temporary protected status to nationals of Pakistan is consistent with the interests of the United States and promotes the values and morals that have made the United States strong.”

The bill, if passed, will allow undocumented Pakistanis living in the US to travel to Pakistan and come back to the US under a special permit.