‘We have lost everything.’ AsiaNews help

The dramatic testimony in a village in the province of Sindh whose name means “God save us” where 45 Christian families live: “Houses and cattle were destroyed up to a kilometer away from the river. And more rain is expected.” 70% of the country has been affected. Father Rasheed Asi: “Let’s ask God to show us the rainbow like Noah. Without help, these people will not be able to survive.” launches a subscription through our already active campaign for Pakistan

Sindh () – “It is as if we lived in the time of Noah: everything has been destroyed, I ask God to show us the rainbow now. But I also humbly ask those who can help us: without support, these poor people cannot survive.” Father Khalid Rasheed Asi spoke to from Faisalabad about the dramatic situation Pakistan is experiencing. The number of victims of heavy rains is continuously increasing monsoon rains that have hit most of Pakistan, almost 70% of the country (the areas marked in red on the map) are struggling to cope with this disaster and the torrential rains are not over yet According to the latest bulletin, more More than 1,200 people lost their lives, thousands were injured, more than 800,000 head of cattle drowned and 1 million houses were destroyed.The waters swept away crops, houses, communication lines, the electrical system and the drinking water distribution network. 200 bridges collapsed and more than 40 small dams gave way.

Faced with the panorama of general devastation, and the PIME Foundation do not want to remain indifferent. Responding to the invitation made by Pope Francis at Sunday’s Angelus, we have decided to expand our AN05 campaign – which was launched to help brick factory workers in Pakistan – to include those who are today victims of this new calamity. Anyone can offer their support with a online donation at this linkor through the other channels indicated at the end of this article.

It is urgent to reach the smallest communities as soon as possible, which run the risk of being left out of the aid machinery. Our correspondent in Pakistan, for example, recently visited the worst-affected province of Singh, where most of the population live in small settlements and work as day laborers. The case of Allah Bachao Shoro (“God save us”), a small town near Hyderabad where 45 Christian families resided along with another hundred Muslim and Hindu families, is emblematic. Everything was devastated by floods and heavy rains, as the images that accompany this article show.

People living within a kilometer of the Sindh River have lost their livestock and houses and have been completely ruined; the number of available shops is very small and they live in conditions of great misery. Completely isolated, they can only be reached by boat. The church in the area is also in terrible condition.

Imtiaz Masih, a local activist from Hyderabad, tells : “They are left with nothing, living in extreme poverty and fighting various diseases because they have no resources to cope with the situation. At this time, the most necessary thing is to provide them with tents and food rations. They still haven’t received any help, only some people from nearby areas give them cooked food once a day. Women and children are severely affected and the next three days will be very critical due to the forecast of new rains. Please help them; They need urgent help.”

“My heart breaks – adds Fr. Khalid Rasheed Asi- and I ask Almighty God to save the people from him. I truly believe that without the help of God’s people living in other countries we cannot survive. These days the prices of everything have gone through the roof and the government is not doing enough for these helpless people. All places of worship were under water. Let us make our own the words of Pope Francis, who asked for help for the Pakistani people. This flood is like another Covid-19 pandemic that the people of Pakistan are fighting against.”

You can collaborate with the campaign in favor of the victims of the floods in Pakistan using one of these means and always indicating the destination AN04 EMERGENZA PAKISTAN:

-Online payment by credit card (Visa, Cartasì, Mastercard, American Express) or Paypal

Bank transfer payable to: Fondazione Pime Onlus, Crédit Agricole

IBAN IT89M0623001633000015111283

Please always send an email confirming that the transfer has been made to [email protected], specifying your name, surname, address, tax code, place and date of birth (useful data for issuing the valid document for tax deduction ).

-Postal current account: n. 39208202 intestate to Fondazione Pime Onlus.

-Check or bank draft: payable to Fondazione Pime Onlus. Send to Fondazione Pime Onlus, via Monte Rosa, 81 – 20149 Milano.