Crisis in Pakistan
Between May to July 2009, intense fighting between militant groups and the Pakistani Forces in and around the Swat Valley drove some 2.5 million people from their homes. World Vision responded to a call by Pakistani authorities to join a relief effort to assist the internally displaced people affected by the fighting.
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Background
On 6 May 2009, the ongoing low-level conflict between the Pakistani Military and the Taliban in and around the Swat valley expanded into open war, causing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee. It is estimated that more than 2.5 million people were internally displaced, including the almost 600,000 registered displaced persons who have fled the area in recent years, most of whom are women and children.
The conflict between government forces and Taliban militants not only caused an unprecedented people movement but also destroyed homes, infrastructure and livelihoods. The District Department of Education in Pakistan reported that 60 per cent of schools in the Swat district were completely destroyed.
On 11 July 2009, the Pakistani government formally announced a plan for people to return home following the cessation of fighting in areas around the Swat Valley. The return of some 2 million people displaced by fighting relieved the burden on host communities (friends, relatives, government shelters and the displacement camps).
World Vision’s response
World Vision was able to provide relief to some of the neediest families displaced by the fighting, including:
- The provision of non-food items such as mattresses, pots and pans, utensils and other basic items to more than 3,500 internally displaced people
- Food for more than 150,000 people in the North West Province
- Water purifiers and 6 month cash support for particularly vulnerable families
- Psychosocial support for children by setting up 2 Child Friendly Spaces in Buner
Following the return of the displaced to their homes, World Vision worked to ensure the immediate needs of families were met, while continuing to address the longer-term issue of livelihood recovery.
Ongoing activities
World Vision has been working in Pakistan since 1992, focusing on emergency relief and response, child protection, HIV and AIDS awareness, and sustainable economic development. World Vision also provided extensive assistance to people in Northwest Frontier Province immediately after the 2005 earthquake.
You can discover more about this earthquake, and World Vision's response to it, on the Pakistan page in our Past Emergencies section.