wi-tribe Supports Flood Relief Efforts

In Pakistan, wi-tribe employees organized a ‘Relief Drive’ using donations from their salaries to support victims of the devastating floods.
wi-tribe employees volunteered their time to procure, pack, transport and distribute the goods themselves. With the much appreciated aid of the Pakistan Army stationed at Kot Addu, a very organized relief effort was executed, utilizing 100% of the funds to provide over 200 family care packages containing 1 month of relief rations and goods.
With each care package, wi-tribe provided a family of 5 with 1 ration sack (36 Kg of food supplies including powdered milk, cooking spices, rice, sugar, dates, cooking oil, pulses, energy biscuits, tea and non-food supplies including antiseptic soap, sanitary pads, candles, ORS, mosquito repellent, and anti-rash cream) + 1 sack of wheat (10 Kg) + 2 Jerry cans (with a capacity of 20 Litres each) + mineral water + 1 bag of mixed pickle (1 Kg), all amounting to 30 days of consumables for a family of 5.
Talking about the relief efforts, Mustafa Peracha, CEO of wi-tribe Pakistan said, “Considering the devastation that has taken place, we felt it was our obligation as members of society to reach out to those suffering in the wake of the floods. I am proud to say that wi-tribers worked as one team and initiated an internal relief effort drive to not only contribute financially to the cause, but also volunteered to visit the affected areas ourselves.”
While individual wi-tribe employees have donated generously to the cause, the wi-tribe Group has also made a donation to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has worked in Pakistan since 1947 and is an international leader in bringing relief to war and disaster stricken areas around the world.
wi-tribe employees have joined hands to support the flood showing how even the smallest individual effort can collectively become effective. Visit www.wi-tribe.pk/relief to find out how you can help.

Telenor Receives Rs. 68 Million from DTAC Thailand for Flood Relief

Telenor Group’s operating company DTAC Thailand handed over a cheque of Rs. 68 million to Telenor Pakistan as its contribution toward the ongoing flood relief efforts.
To announce the donation a press conference was organized by Telenor Pakistan at a local hotel. Present on the occasion from Telenor Pakistan were Aamir Ibrahim, Vice President Corporate Affairs & Chief Strategy Officer; and Affan Haider, Head of Corporate Communications & Responsibility.
DTAC was represented by Thana Thienachariya, Chief, Corporate Affairs & Strategy; and Wansit Saiyawan, Department Head, Corporate Affairs, PR & Communication.
Addressing the press conference Thana Thienachariya said: “DTAC and its employees have a long tradition of reaching out to communities in their time of need. As soon as we learnt about the devastating floods in Pakistan and the widespread destruction they have caused, DTAC Management decided to commit funds toward Pakistan’s flood relief efforts. We also made a passionate appeal to our employees to donate generously. By contributing the equivalent of Rs68 million to the relief efforts we hope we are able to help in some small way toward lessening the loss and grief that the people of Pakistan are facing due to these destructive floods.”
Aamir Ibrahim thanked employees of DTAC and members of its Management for personally coming to Pakistan to hand over their donation. “Your contribution will help make a huge difference to the lives of thousands of flood affected people by helping rebuild their livelihoods and overcome their immediate difficulties,” he said. “Such generous donations help Telenor Pakistan reinforce its commitment to help the flood affected, especially through long-term sustainable rehabilitation projects that are in line with the local needs.”
Last month, following the large-scale devastation caused by the floods, Telenor Pakistan pledged Rs. 100 million toward the flood relief efforts and entered into a partnership with Pakistan Red Crescent Society.
One-third of the pledged amount has already been spent on purchasing relief goods and medicines. These will support 6,000 families across Pakistan and comprise 15-days rations and medicine supplies.

Motorola Pledges Financial Support for Flood Relief

In response to the recent floods in Pakistan, the Motorola Foundation has donated US$50,000 to CARE (www.care.org) and pledged an additional US$50,000 to match Motorola employee donations to CARE.
“Our sympathies are extended to the people affected by these natural disasters” said Karen Tandy, senior vice president, public affairs, Motorola. “This donation is an example of Motorola’s continued commitment to humanitarian relief throughout the world.”
Other than the donation from Motorola Foundation, employees in Pakistan have also contributed meaningfully towards relief activities for flood survivors.
Motorola Pakistan has supplied food and other staple items including medicines worth US$14,600 through rescue teams in different areas of Punjab and Khayber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Zong Distributes Goods in Flood Hit Areas

Zong recently donated relief goods for the flood affected people. The picture shows Zong’s volunteers distributing relief goods in the camps of Thatta, Sindh.

Pakistan Flood Data Got Wasted: Critics

A huge effort to collect and analyze data on the devastating floods has been severely undermined by a lack of strategies for disaster management and the dissemination of information, scientists and disaster experts have said.
According to SciDev.Net, much of data gathered by Pakistan Meteorological Department’s flood forecasting division has not been put to good use.
It merits mentioning here that Meteorological Department has an extensive network of weather radars along the Indus River as well as an Indus flood forecasting system that uses computer modeling, however manipulation of this data was not done to get the best out of it.
Critics also say there are a large number of agencies working without direction and coordination, and often duplicating efforts. In addition to the NDMA, the Pakistan Meteorological Department, and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), there are almost a dozen central and provincial agencies engaged in flood relief.
The flood forecasting division gives authorities 24-hour warning of monsoon flooding. Its efforts are now being complemented with data on the extent of flood water and damage from the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain development (ICIMOD) in conjunction with the US and Japanese space agencies.
An ICIMOD team is overlaying the flood data with maps of villages and crops. ICIMOD then relays the information to SUPARCO, as well as to international organizations and the UN Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response, UN-SPIDER.
The Pakistan government and army also use the maps to help them decide how to respond.
Scientists said data gaps should also be plugged. For example, meteorological radar coverage should extend across the entire country, said Anjum. And ICIMOD scientists say on-ground information, such as the lengths of bridges or the number of animals and crops, still needs to be assembled and combined with satellite data.
Via SciDev.Net

Qubee Donates Rs. 3.5 m to Flood Victims

Qubee, WiMax broadband internet provider in Pakistan , has donated Rs. 3.5 million to support relief efforts and rehabilitation of flood victims in Pakistan .
Mubashir Naqvi, CEO Qubee while stressing the need of the hour said this is the social responsibility of each corporate entity to come forward for the relief efforts for 20 million displaced flood victims. He said Qubee and its employees will never leave the people of Pakistan alone in such trying and testing times. We are committed and standing shoulder to shoulder with the nation to provide all out support to flood victims.
Qubee’s employees have also donated Part of their salaries for the relief efforts while ration and dry food items etc are also being distributed among the people in flood affected areas and relief camps all across Pakistan.

Telecom Companies Donate Rs 238.5m for Flood Victims

A huge contribution has been made by the telecom companies to help the flood victims. Three leading telecom operators Ufone, Mobilink and Telenor have contributed Rs 238.5 million for the flood victims, while other operators are making efforts to assist the masses in this hour of need. Telenor made a major contribution of Rs 100 million to Secretary General, Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Brig (Retd.) Muhammad Ilyas Khan, at a ceremony.
The amount will be utilized to facilitate urgent relief efforts and longer term healing initiatives by PRCS. Another telecom operator, Mobilink, committed Rs 85 million. Mobilink will be coordinating with relief organizations, including World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health Organization (WHO) to reach out to the flood victims to ensure that aid needs of the deserving and un-served are met in an efficient manner. The funds will be used to provide immediate relief assistance including clean drinking water and dry food rations.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and its sister organization, Ufone, made a joint contribution of Rs 53.5 million to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund. President of PTCL, Walid Irshaid, and CEO Ufone, Abdul Aziz, called on Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and expressed their solidarity at this time of need. Mobilink has also played his part and made the contribution of Rs 85 million for flood relief. Telecom operators are looking keen to help their nation in this delicate time.

Contribute to Flood Relief Fund by Sending an SMS

PTA in collaboration with telecom industry has started “1234″ SMS service to supplement the efforts of the govt in its rescue and rehabilitation efforts for the flood affected across the country.
The short code 1234 has been activated from all cellular mobile operators platform.  SMS can be sent to 1234 by writing “Fund” which will be charged RS.10/- excluding taxes for contributing to PM flood relief fund 2010 for flood affectees peoples.
The amount collected by “1234″ sms would be deposted to PM’s flood relief fund 2010 for which  a special account has been created in NBP (A/c No. 898989)
People are reqeusted by PTA to send maximum numbers of sms to help their affected brothers in this hour of need.

Mobilink Pledges Rs. 85 million For Flood Relief

Mobilink, Pakistan’s market leader in cellular communication services, with the support of parent company Orascom Telecom Holding has committed Rs. 85 million for providing relief to the affectees of the floods caused by torrential monsoon rains in Pakistan.
Mobilink will be coordinating with relief organizations including World Food Programme and World Health Organization to reach out to the flood victims to ensure that aid needs of the deserving and un-served are met in an efficient manner. The funds will be used to provide immediate relief assistance including clean drinking water and dry food rations.
Naguib Sawiris, Executive Chairman, OTH and Khaled Bichara, Group Chief Executive Officer, OTH expressed grief at the loss of lives, infrastructure and the ongoing crisis adding that Mobilink and Pakistan hold a very special place at Orascom and the Rs. 85 million fund is a humble way of expressing solidarity with the millions of people affected by the worst floods in Pakistan’s history.
Rashid Khan, President & CEO Mobilink shared that, “This is a national tragedy that requires each one of us to respond with support that is tangible and urgency which is critical. As one of the largest private sector organizations in the country, Mobilink has always been at the forefront in supporting our fellow citizens in times such as these. We have an experienced team who have been a part of Mobilink’s efforts in the 2005 earthquake, Balochistan floods and more recently the IDPs Relief efforts as well as a generous employee and subscriber base that makes us ideally positioned to deliver effectively.”
In addition to committing funds at the company level, Mobilink has also set up a short code to enable Mobilink users to contribute Rs. 10 (plus tax) by texting “Flood” to 616 or deposit donations  to Mobilink Foundation account (account # 0401-0028266-0001) by visiting any NIB branch. Mobilink has also set up a salary fund to enable employees to donate towards this cause.
According to sources, the flood has affected more than 3 million people, including 1.4 million children. Having killed at least 1,400 already, the death toll  is expected to rise as more heavy rain is reported in the midst of the monsoon season, feared breakout of water-borne diseases such as cholera and  a food crisis due to several parts being cut off for almost one week now.
Last year, Mobilink established a complete relief camp accommodating 1,000 families of IDPs with a Rs. 81 million fund. Recognized as the largest private sector relief commitment for the IDPs, the camp provided inhabitants with all basic need items ranging from tents, bedding and hygiene items, dry food rations, cooking areas and utensils to basic health care, education and even recreation. As a company committed to reshaping lives, Mobilink and Orascom have shown unwavering commitment in the past as well by actively engaging in the relief and rehabilitation of the Oct 2005 earthquake affectees

Telenor Pakistan Pledges Rs100 Million for Flood Affectees

Telenor Pakistan has pledged Rs. 100 Million in funding and telecommunication services, towards relief and rehabilitation of flood affectees. The amount will be used to facilitate immediate relief efforts and longer term rehabilitation initiatives by Pakistan Red Crescent Society.

Chief Strategy Officer and VP Corporate Affairs, Telenor Pakistan, Aamir Ibrahim said, “In this hour of need, where millions have been affected by devastating floods across the country, Telenor Pakistan stands by its brethren. We will contribute through donating funds, offering our telecommunication services and volunteering our collective employee efforts towards the rehabilitation of the affectees. We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and the destruction caused by recent floods. We are sure that this humble effort will help those who need it most.”
Secretary General, Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Brig. (Retd.) Muhammad Ilyas Khan appreciated Telenor Pakistan’s timely contribution. He said, “This is a great initiative from Telenor Pakistan and hopefully will also encourage other organizations to contribute in a similar manner. This is a national crisis and everyone needs to do their part by coming forward and extending support.”
Telenor Pakistan runs a number of community support initiatives aimed at helping communities help themselves. In addition to becoming a disability friendly organization, Telenor Pakistan also takes a lead in extending support to disaster victims. In wake of October 2008 earthquake in Baluchistan, it was the first telecom operator to reach the affected area that provided communication facilities and a month’s supply of food items to 160 families. Other than providing crisis communication support to Edhi, National Crisis Management Cell, press and relief organizations, Telenor Pakistan also made a contribution of Rs. 65 million to the President Earthquake Relief Fund and International Red Cross after the 2005 earthquake. Telenor Pakistan and PRCS also worked together during the IDP crisis to help thousands of displaced people from tribal areas of Pakistan.

Ufone and PTCL Contribute to Flood Relief Fund

Mr Walid Irshaid, President PTCL & Ufone and Mr Abdul Aziz, CEO Ufone jointly presenting cheques to the Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani for the PM’s Flood Relief Fund 2010.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Pakistan and its sister concern Ufone, donated Rs.53.5 million to the Prime Minister’s flood relief fund.
Mr. Walid Irshaid President PTCL and Ufone  and Mr. Abdul Aziz CEO Ufone met the honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Yousuf Raza Gillani and expressed their solidarity at this time of need.
The Company has and always will stand by the people of Pakistan. This effort is in response to the recent call for help from the private sector by the Prime Minister.
Mr. Walid Irshaid President PTCL and Ufone Pakistan said that this is a testing time for all in Pakistan. The natural calamities have been unimaginable and it is up to each one of us to come together in order to create a unified effort to help the people of Pakistan.
We as socially responsible organizations need to join hands and make this the fastest and most effective relief effort ever. And hoped this contribution will help in providing people relief of their grievous conditions.