A Pakistani earthquake victim holds her daughter as they stand on the rubble of their house in Balakot October 15, 2005. The overwhelming concern as relief operations moved from rescue to rehabilitation was the potentially deadly combination of bad weather and no real shelter. The United Nations estimates more than a million have been made homeless -- as many as 2.5 million by local counts -- and winter is approaching rapidly. Reuters/ZAHID HUSSEIN
“The clock is ticking. In barely two months from now, the mountains
will get their first snowfall and temperatures will plummet below
zero. There are simply not enough tents, blankets, and warm clothes
to go around. Hundreds of tent clusters have come up, but thousands
of families remain out under the skies, facing rain and hail, and
with dread in their hearts. These families have lost everything but
the tattered clothes on their backs. Some even lost the land they
had lived upon for generations – the top soil simply slid away,
leaving behind hard rock and rubble. Those without shelter will die.
From a special university fund we have pledged a dozen families to
rebuild their houses. This number can be pushed up to fifty with the
amount you have pledged so far (…where the cost is for wood
and stone mostly). But ten thousand or more will be needed in the
Mansehra-Balakot-Kaghan area alone, not to speak of adjoining Kashmir.”
“We need to take foodstuff, blankets, medicines. Today I prevailed
on the [university] administration to release a university van. No
large bus, because it would be useless there. We want to fill it up
with stuff, then go again and again. I think we could use up
to… $5000/trip. We are limited by having a single university
van only….The number of trips will depend on the sum collected.
If you want to contribute, say so now.”
Thank you again for your contributions, which keep increasing. After
the immediate crisis passes, we will use the remainder to rebuild
infrastructure. Several of you are not Pakistanis, and your solidarity
in these desperate moments is appreciated even more. It reinforces
hope in our shared humanity.”
These are the words of Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, Professor of Physics
at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan. He and his
colleague at Princeton University, Dr. Zia Mian, are spearheading
an effort to raise funds to help in direct people-to-people aid to
one of the hardest hit areas of Pakistan. More than 25,000 are
feared to have lost their lives in this earthquake, and an estimated
1 million people are now homeless. The students at QA University
are helping to deliver the goods and will help in reconstruction.
Please join this effort. Every little bit helps
INSTRUCTIONS FOR DEPOSIT
1. Please make CHECKS payable to "EAF - EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND "
2. Please PRINT OUT, SIGN and MAIL the following form, along with your check :
Enclosed is a donation of ________ to the EAF - Earthquake Relief Fund. I understand that this money will be used solely for the purpose of purchasing and distributing earthquake relief and rehabilitation supplies in Pakistan.
Name (please print): _________________________________________
Signature: _________________________________________________
Address : _______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
3. Please mail your check and this form to:
Eqbal Ahmad Foundation
P.O. Box 222
Princeton, NJ 08542
The Eqbal Ahmad Foundation is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code. Therefore, your donation is tax deductible. If you wish to receive a letter acknowledging your donation for tax purposes, please include your mailing address.
For tax purposes, all donations over $250 must include your name and mailing address.
Should you have any questions about how to make or send a donation, please contact the Foundation's Vice President, Zia Mian, at zia@princeton.edu
The money sent to the Eqbal Ahmad Foundation for the Earthquake Relief Fund will be used only for earthquake relief. No portion of the funds you have committed will be spent on administration, those funds will be raised separately if necessary.
