As you must be aware, the floods that struck Pakistan last month continue to wreak havoc as rains continue. To give you a brief idea,
· More than 20 million Pakistanis have been affected by this catastrophe. That means one out of every 9 Pakistanis has been affected
· One fifth of the country is submerged; millions are without shelter, food and other items of basic survival
· The damage to infrastructure, land not to mention hundreds of lives lost makes this calamity bigger than the 2004 Tsunami, 2005 Kashmir Earthquake and the 2010 Haiti Earthquake combined
Please visit the following links so that you can see for yourself photos narrating the extent of damage done, the impact it has had on the country and the state of the affectees:
· http://mobilinkfoundation.org/flood/flood_relief.html
· http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/severe_flooding_in_pakistan.html
· http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/continuing_pakistani_floods.html
Through our philanthropic arm, Mobilink Foundation, we responded to the catastrophe with urgency. I would like to share that Mobilink was among the first private sector organizations to set up a fund of Rs. 85 million for Flood Relief efforts with the support of our parent company Orascom Telecom Holding. In addition, Mobilink employees have contributed more than Rs. 6.5 million from their salaries, through collection points and funds raised through friends and family. Moreover, Orascom has also launched an International Campaign to raise awareness and funds for Pakistan Flood Relief Activities.
A key driver in our efforts is employee volunteerism. Currently we have a cross functional team involving Marketing, CSR, Sales, HR, Admin, Security, Finance and Sales all working together in their respective regions to identify and serve the flood affectees be it from procuring aid items to coordinating delivery to packing and loading them onto trucks. With the expertise of our field staff, our aim is to scope out and cater to areas where aid has not reached. We are also coordinating with relief organizations and the armed forces for distribution on ground where required.
To date, Mobilink Foundation has reached out to more than 41,500 individuals affected by the floods in far-flung areas including surroundings of Multan, Muzaffargarh, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swat, Sukkur, D.I. Khan as well as smaller towns and villages across Pakistan. To learn more about how we are utilizing these funds with the help of our employees and volunteer force in coordination with organizations on ground, you can visit http://mobilinkfoundation.org/flood_relief.php.
About Mobilink Foundation
Established in December 2007, the Foundation is Mobilink’s philanthropic arm and is a non-profit organization driven by Mobilink employees. The Foundation’s audit report for the year ended December 31st 2009 is also attached.
As one of the largest private sector organizations in the country, Mobilink has always been at the forefront in supporting our fellow citizens in times such as these. We have an experienced team who have been a part of Mobilink’s efforts in the 2005 earthquake, Balochistan floods and more recently the support of Internally Displaced Persons of Swat and Buner, as well as a generous employee and subscriber base that makes us ideally positioned to deliver effectively. To view the documentary on Mobilink Camp for IDPs established for 1,000 families visit http://www.mobilinkgsm.com/csr/idp.php
Donate to Mobilink Foundation
If you have not donated yet, you can donate to Mobilink Foundation now. To remit money to the Mobilink Foundation account, refer to attached PDF.
Please feel free to write to mobilinkfoundation@mobilink.net in case of queries.
Just to give you an idea, a $40 contribution will enable us to provide dry food rations to a family of 7 for at least 2 weeks. Each $100 is sufficient to provide a family basic utensils such as pots, pans, mats, cloth, jerry cans and so on.
This is a moment that calls upon us to come forward and respond to this emergency. While relief organizations, private sector and individuals are showing tremendous spirit, unfortunately, only a fraction of the affectees are within reach of emergency aid. In the same spirit, at Mobilink we are doing everything we can and in this critical hour, we need all the help we can get. I hope that you will look deep into your heart and pockets.
Please note, every rupee, every dollar, every prayer counts.