International Response To The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake - Non-governmental Organizations

Non-governmental Organizations

• Humanity First- The first to reach the earthquake zone. Doctors, paramedics and volunteers from UK, Canada, USA and Pakistan opened medical and tent camps which still continue to provide longterm health care and shelter to the victims of the earthquake.

• Direct Relief International - Through October 31, 2006, Direct Relief has provided 1.5 million courses of treatment of specifically requested medicines, supplies, and equipment, along with $1.1 million in cash grants to 12 clinics, hospitals, and organizations, to the relief effort, and continues to provide ongoing programmatic support to its partners.

• Oxfam - An emergency assessment and response team was dispatched to the region. A coordinator said that the "initial needs appear to be tents, blankets, medical kits, food aid, water and trauma counseling for those affected."

• The International Rescue Corps are deploying a specialist Urban Search and Rescue team of 14 volunteers to Pakistan as part of the wider UK response.

• Red Crescent - Emergency assessment and response teams are being deployed in all parts of the affected region. A team of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reached Muzaffarabad on October 10. Further teams deployed in Uri and Jammu with the Indian Red Cross Society. The ICRC has set up a website to facilitate the contact between relatives and friends unable to get in touch with each other.

• The Salvation Army - Is mobilizing some truckloads of relief supplies.

• SOS Children's Villages have announced an emergency relief program in Jammu and Kashmir.

• The Minhaj Welfare Foundation has been active in Pakistan over a decade. At the time of the earthquake they established tent villages with supplies and full medical facilities.

• The Edhi Foundation has been active in Pakistan for two decades. They are providing food, clothes, blankets and medicine to those affected by the disaster.

• The World Islamic Mission Welfare Trust - are sending out phases of doctors to the area, including both General Physicians and Surgeons with tens of thousands of pounds worth of medicine. They are also setting up various dispensaries within affected areas, as well as collaborating with hospitals within the area to take airlifted injured survivors. Rehabilitaion will become the main focus after the immediate phase has paased.

• SPO - Provided relief aid and medical goods at the Lady Reading and Khyber Hospitals, in Peshawar. Till date, goods worth 850 000 Rs. have been sent.

• DEMIRA Deutsche Minenraeumer e.V. deployed an emergency team to Balakot district only hours after the earthquake. In cooperation with the Pakistan army DEMIRA set up a medical facility in the valley of Ghanool providing the hard-hit mountain communities with lifesaving triage and air ambulance.

• JEN Japan Emergency NGOs has started to work for the relief operation on 9 October 2005. Expert came from Japan to provide Non Food Items (NFIs) to the affected people in District Bagh. JEN worked in District Bagh until December 2008. JEN constructed 3 permanent structure (earthquake proof)Schools and 3 Shelter schools, each school contains 2 shelters.