Here is a report from PP Lip Kee for your perusal.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
PP Dr Ho
encl:
From: Lip Kee Yap Subject: Visit to Pakistan
Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010, 10:42 AM
Dear Dr. Ho, DG and June,
Having returned from Islamabad I thought it best to send you a report. Photos will follow as soon as I get the pictures of the hand over of supplies taken by the New Paper photojournalist who accompanied us on the trip.
The team comprised of 2 Singapore Red Cross (SRC) officials and 2 “volunteers. The Secretary General of SRC , Colonel Chris Chua and the Director of Operations Col. Lim Theam Poh were the Red Cross officials. The photojournalist from The New Paper was the other. I went as a Red Cross volunteer and representative from Rotary District 3310.
We left by Thai Airways (to Islamabad via Bangkok) on Friday 17th September and arrived back on tuesday 21st. September a short trip mainly to assess the situation and view the disbursement of the directed donations we had sent thru the Singapore Red Cross.
The first day in Islamabad was spent at the Pakistan Red Crescent Society Headquarters in Islamabad getting a briefing on the state of the evolving disaster in the various parts of the nation. Although flood waters had settled in the north “search and rescue” missions were still on going in the south where the floods were still raging. It was not feasible for us to visit Sindh province where flood waters were still high as we would have had to fly to Lahore, transfer to Hyderabad and find 4WD transport to the affected areas, a 4 day return journey. The Pakistan Red Crescent chief express thanks to the Singapore Red Cross and its partners.
A Security briefing with the chief of security and a meeting with the country rep of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was attended as this was pre-arranged.
The next day the field trip was led by the Chief of Operations of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, we left Islamabad in 2 4WD
and took a 2 hour drive towards Charsadda the district next to and east of Peshawar, south of the Swat valley. The province itself is larger than Singapore and had a population of more than a million, approximately 20% of which has been displaced, some temporarily others permanently. Briefing notes are not attached (file too big) but the main points from the briefing is that in this rich agricultural province 137,000 acres (55% of agricultural land) were totally damaged and 38,000 acres (15%) partially damaged.
68 schools were destroyed, 20 bridges damaged, 30,000 homes destroyed. Livestock loss included almost 10,000 cattle and 13,000 buffaloes, 9000 goats and sheep and 200,000 poultry.
The Pakistan Red Crescent teams of volunteers nave been making these assessments and working with local village heads to ensure adequate aid gets to the needy. The overall impression was that aid was being distributed fairly and in an orderly manner to the people needing it.
The distribution of the food we had sent money for was orderly and I witnessed the headmen enforcing a coupons system to ensure that villagers were fairly treated. My movements were free but limited by security concerns and rules imposed by the International Red Cross (IFRC). As it was a rule that Red Crescent vehicles were not to be escorted by armed guards our movements we restricted to the daylight hours and our field trip limited by the need to return before 6 pm. Otherwise it was easy enough to visit villages affected. We managed to see a range of severely affected houses and partially damaged properties.
I have uploaded photos taken but the photos that June would like(pictures of the food distribution with the Rotary International logo seen will only be available from the New Paper after their article has been run. The other pictures are here (not annotated yet) : http://www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/sets/72157624887112593/
Overall I believe the trip was worthwhile and I can happily report that any money we sent thru the Singapore Red Cross Society as designated donation (i.e. we specify the means of usage) are well utilised.
I hope to arrange for a Red Cross official to receive the cheque from DG or Dr. Ho at one of the meetings next week. I believe DG is making a visit on Thursday night. If it is feasible I can approach the President of the host club for permission for this to take place.
Yours in Rotary,
Dr. L.K. Yap
Member , Disaster Relief Committee
Rotary International District 3310