In response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Pakistan and in line with the United Nations 2022 Pakistan Floods appeal, Al-Futtaim Group today announced the provision of AED 1 million in aid to help those affected by the devastating floods in Pakistan.
The aid will be in the form of direct food support, medicine, and other necessities to individuals and families affected by the massive floods, in addition to donations to the official flood relief funds in Pakistan.
During the past weeks, rainfall has exceeded four times the rates recorded during the past 30 years in Pakistan, resulting in one of the most devastating floods in the country’s history. The impact is far-reaching – the rain-triggered flash floods have affected one-third of the country, destroying everything from homes, farmlands, schools, and infrastructure. It is estimated that the floods have impacted more than 33 million people in different parts of the country.
At the end of August, the Government of Pakistan, jointly with the United Nations, raised a formal donation appeal 2022 Pakistan Floods Response Plan (FRP) to both national and international organizations. The appeal focuses on the needs of 5.2 million people, with life-saving response activities covering food security, assistance for agriculture and livestock, shelter and non-food items, nutrition programmes, primary health services, protection, water and sanitation, women’s health, and education support, as well as shelter for displaced people.
Commenting on the initiative, Moza Omar Al Futtaim, Ambassador of CSR at Al-Futtaim Group, said: “Along with the rest of the world, we have been shocked and saddened by the situation in Pakistan. We have an ongoing commitment to having a positive impact on the communities we operate in, so we are proud to be able to contribute in some way to complement the broader effort. We stand with the Pakistani people and hope our funds can go some way to helping them rebuild their communities at this difficult time.”
She added: “The humanitarian initiative to provide urgent aid comes in line with Al-Futtaim Group Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and our personal keenness to extend a helping hand to support the needs of the people of Pakistan affected by this natural disaster”.
As the situation in Pakistan evolved, a high-level task force was established to examine how Al-Futtaim Group could support both its employees as well as the wider community. The team was tasked with quickly developing effective measures to help the affected communities. Al-Futtaim Group’s Al-Ghazi Tractors has a presence within Karachi, as well as a manufacturing plant at Dera Ghazi Khan (DGK), which is one of the highest impacted areas due to flash floods.