• How many people are still in the conflict zone? How many are displaced?
• Why are people still in the conflict zone?
• Why don’t they just go stay in an IDP camp?
• What does World Vision want the government to do about the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) crisis?
• Is the Pakistani government doing enough to help these people (because they are basically forcing them out of their homes due to the violence)?
• There have been reports (such as 11 May article in the New York Times) that the Taliban are infiltrating some of the camps and taking the relief supplies. How can World Vision ensure that they are really helping people in need - and not providing resources to the Taliban?
• What is it like to be a Christian organisation in a predominantly Muslim country?
• Are the religious and cultural views of the displaced different to those in host communities where they are settling? And if so, are they likely to cause friction and problems within the camps?
• There are reports that the number of displaced people could grow up to 1.5 million (BBC, 10 May 09). Does the government of Pakistan have enough capacity to respond to a crisis of this scale?
• As an organisation who takes advocacy seriously, what is your plea towards the Pakistani government?
• What about the Obama administration who basically asked the Pakistanis to crack down the Taliban and is now causing massive displacement?
• What is World Vision currently doing to help the IDPs of the Malakand Division?
• What will World Vision do to help children in particular?
• What about people’s livelihoods? Is World Vision planning to help people return home and get back on their feet?
• What work has World Vision undertaken in Pakistan?

At this time, it’s impossible to tell because we cannot safely access those areas. However, we believe that roughly 2 million people may still be within the three districts that compose the conflict zone. Of those, we believe a large percentage have been displaced by the fighting.

In many areas, families cannot travel safely in order to escape from the three districts that make up the conflict zone. Other families who remain in the conflict zone are desperately trying to find host communities outside the conflict zone where they may seek shelter. However, many people do not have friends or relatives outside the conflict zone.

Many The families who have been affected by this crisis live by tribal, traditional and religious norms that forbid men and women from interacting freely with each other. Interaction between the opposite sexes should be limited. Joint gatherings are rare. Family gatherings are generally segregated. Women meet each other inside homes, while men meet each other outside the home.

This concept is called “Purdha” and more or less means “privacy”. When the laws of privacy are violated, it damages people’s honour, which goes to the heart of their identity. These teachings are reinforced by tribal traditions among the people.

The disaster has broken these traditional boundaries. IDP camps in particular fail to provide boundaries and proper segregation. Families and clans intermix with strangers as their tents are just a few feet from each other, and voices can be heard through the tent walls. Going to public toilets and feeding lines poses particular problems from a cultural perspective.

“It’s like having a stranger going through your underwear drawer”.

World Vision is first and foremost concerned about the wellbeing of children, who make up half the number of the displaced. Children are always the most vulnerable in any crisis and World Vision wants to see their needs considered and prioritised before any intervention by the government or other agencies.

This means the Pakistan military should ensure the protection of civilians in conflict areas by enabling all people – from the young to the elderly, to find adequate refuge. Schooling must be put in place in camps and more resources provided in host communities which could become overwhelmed by the needs of the displaced.

It is still too soon to conclude if enough is being done – not just by the government – but by all humanitarian actors in Pakistan. An estimated 500,000 people are newly displaced – joining the 555,000 who have been displaced during escalating violence over recent years. The GOP is expecting and planning for another 500,000 IDPs, totaling 1,500,000 IDPs.

The sheer number of displaced persons, difficult terrain and rising temperatures are creating massive challenges that would pose difficulties for any government. The government has established five main camps and with the UN and aid agencies is striving to meet the basic needs of families. Now, the government and its partners must also provide desperately needed support to already impoverished host communities.

As with all our programmes worldwide, World Vision does everything it can to ensure that its humanitarian assistance goes direct to the beneficiaries. Distributions are carried out in a very structured and controlled way with beneficiary lists and where possible, the use of thumbprints. We work also through reliable local partners who understand the affected community, and we do both internal and external audits of how World Vision goods are distributed and how funds are spent.

World Vision has had a long-standing presence in many Muslim communities such as those in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan and has worked with and for people from very diverse religions. We continue to foster good relationships and as such we have gained the respect and trust of many Muslims. We seek to be open about our Christian identity when asked of us and we ask Muslims to respect our religion, as we do theirs, and stand next to us as we all strive to care for people, which both religions view as a vital part of serving God.

The displaced and host communities have much more that connects them than divides them. However, it is important to remember that host communities were by and large destitute even before the influx of displaced people. As a result, resources and services that were already strained will be stretched to the breaking point if we don’t intervene to assist them. Any time that there is competition for scarce resources, there is the potential for conflict.

While this scale of displacement is unprecedented in Pakistan’s history, the government has previously managed humanitarian disasters on a massive scale – such as the October 2005 earthquake which killed more than 73,000 people; some 3.5 million lost their homes and a total of 3.5 million people were affected.

Taking lessons learnt from the earthquake the government enhanced the disaster management system of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which is supported by legal and institutional arrangements at the Federal, Provincial and District level. The NDMA works closely with the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations to meet people’s needs in emergencies/disasters.

Nonetheless, it is important to note that the magnitude of the crisis is going to require the coordinated efforts of government, the United Nations and aid agencies in order to be effective. That is why the government and World Vision are calling upon the international community and donors to assist these vulnerable people.

World Vision’s very first concern is about the basic needs of the displaced. World Vision is calling upon the Pakistani government to do everything possible to ensure their safety and wellbeing. However, the relief effort requires every actor, including aid agencies and the United Nations to work together to ensure that the vulnerable are protected also in the long run.

World Vision hasn’t taken a position on the broader dynamics of the conflict. The important thing now is that we make every effort to care for those displaced by the conflict, especially the children. World Vision is focusing its attention on making sure that all actors, including the US government, do everything possible to alleviate their suffering.

World Vision has completed a Rapid Needs Assessment and identified an intense need for improved health, hygiene, education, water, and sanitation facilities both in the camps and in host communities. This week (the week of May 11) we will begin our first distribution of mattresses, pots and pans, utensils, and other basic items to some of the neediest families in host communities outside of Jalala camp. We’re appealing to donors to support our future plans to provide a broad range of crucial services such as temporary schools, health services, water and sanitation projects, and livelihoods projects for the displaced.

World Vision is deeply concerned about the impact the conflict is having upon children who have fled the area. Several displaced families told us about how their children cry or run and hide whenever a helicopter or airplane passes overhead. This reaction is clearly a result of their exposure to the bombing of their villages.

So in addition to providing basic health and education services, World Vision plans to set up “Child Friendly Spaces” which give children the opportunity just to be children again. Child Friendly Spaces are usually tents under which we conduct a broad range of fun activities with children. The activities are designed to help children process the difficult experiences that they’ve experienced. Our experience in other disaster areas has demonstrated that by helping children feel safe, we can help them recover more quickly.

Yes. It is essential that our donors bear in mind that most of the displaced are farmers who left their crops just as they were ready to harvest. IDPs witnessed their crops being destroyed as they fled. For others, their crops are now rotting in the fields.

Many people will have lost their only source of income for the entire season. Many more have lost livestock scattered by the violence. Still others have lost homes and businesses destroyed in the fighting. As a result, World Vision believes that it is essential to provide the displaced with livelihoods support for many months to come.

World Vision has been working in Pakistan since 1992, focusing on emergency relief and response, child protection, HIV and AIDS awareness, sustainable economic developing through program like organic farming, health & hygiene, and empowering women through vocational training and literacy programs. Importantly, World Vision provided extensive assistance to people in Northwest Frontier Province immediately after the 2005 earthquake, so we know what it takes to respond in an emergency here.