Disaster Relief: Some Resources

In the last week of July 2010, torrential rains caused devastating floods in large parts of Pakistan. More than 1,600 people have died in what officials have called Pakistan's worst flooding in 70 years. One-fifth of the nation is covered in flood waters, and the disaster has affected the lives of an estimated 20 million people -- more than a tenth of the population -- according to estimates from the United Nations. If you want to help, here are some resources you can use to give to the organizations on the ground there.

Below is a list of resources specific to the Pakistan floods:

• The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
• ReliefWeb: A project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. This website serves as a clearing house for information related to the earthquakes and ongoing situational reports on the Pakistan floods.
• AlertNet: A humanitarian news network from the Reuters Foundation that provides detailed news updates on the extent of damage and ongoing humanitarian relief efforts.
• InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), lists their members responding to the floods in Pakistan.
• Give2Asia launched a Pakistan Flood Relief Fund after receiving initial commitments of $30,000 from private donors wishing to help survivors.

The Council on Foundations' US International Grantmaking Page has a list of organizations collecting donations and the ways in which nonprofits are responding to the flooding.

Updated August 23, 2010