December 1, 2015
The Humanitarian Coalition announced that CARE Canada will use $468,898 from the Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund (CHAF) to help 3,500 people affected by a recent earthquake in Pakistan.
The need
On October 26, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, causing widespread damage. In Pakistan, where more communities were hit, more than 280 were killed and another 1,982 were injured. More than 98,000 houses and 497 schools were damaged. An estimated one million plus people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Around 20-30% of the remote areas within the affected districts remain inaccessible with little information on damages. Winter has already started in the affected region with freezing temperatures and snowfall, leaving thousands of people vulnerable.
The response
With the funding, CARE Canada will be able to provide emergency shelter able to withstand the cold winter months and winterization kits that include items such as blankets and shawls to 500 vulnerable households (3,500 individuals). As well, approximately 350 people will be trained to help their communities build these shelters and also use salvaged material to build others.
The funds for this response are broken down as follows:
•$315,000 from the Global Affairs Canada
•$35,000 from the Humanitarian Coalition
•$118,898 from CARE Canada
More information on this response.
About the CHAF
The CHAF is a unique Canadian humanitarian funding mechanism, managed by the Humanitarian Coalition and co-financed by Global Affairs Canada (formerly the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade – DFATD) and the Coalition member agencies. It responds to an important funding gap by supporting timely and reliable humanitarian assistance to people affected by smaller-scale, rapid-onset disasters. The CHAF enables the humanitarian community to respond to crises which receive very little global media attention and where assistance is particularly difficult to finance.
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About the Humanitarian Coalition
The Humanitarian Coalition is Canada's only joint appeal mechanism. It is comprised of CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan Canada and Save the Children Canada. With a combined presence in more than 120 countries, we bring together Canada's leading aid agencies to finance relief efforts in times of international humanitarian crises. We work together to eliminate unnecessary competition, reduce the duplication of fundraising costs, and inform the public on humanitarian needs.