The Global Fund for Women has received on-the-ground assessments from several grantee partners on the ongoing flood situation. It is a crisis of unimaginable proportions: one fifth of Pakistan is under water, and 20 million people, one in eight Pakistanis, have been affected.

In addition to the sheer loss in life, land and homes, our partners report other disturbing news. Women and children are missing in significant numbers, which could mean that they have been kidnapped. They also report that militant groups are mobilizing aid and targeting resources in areas unreachable by the government. The implications of this are very dangerous in a region already ravaged by war, conflict and fundamentalisms.

Thanks to the truly exceptional support of our donors, the Pakistan Crisis Fund has raised over $38,000 at a time when global humanitarian aid to Pakistan has been slow. We immediately sent an urgent grant to Shirkat Gah, which is synchronizing relief efforts in the hardest hit regions. We are now processing additional grants to key women’s groups involved in mobilization and reconstruction.

“In Pakistan, the rural women are amongst the most vulnerable of social groups,” writes Dr. Saman Yazdani of Shirkat Gah. “These women have the added disadvantage of being unable to access many opportunities that their city counterparts can reach (e.g. good health care, proper education, employment). Pakistani rural women have been displaced from their habitat and land and badly affected, and it is vital that Shirkat Gah and other organizations like it, keep a vigilant eye on how the unraveling situation is affecting them so as to provide help and assistance where possible as well as raise concerns at all forums.”

Please help support the women and girls in Pakistan by making a donation today. The magnitude of the disaster is so great—we need as many of you to support our partners’ immediate efforts, as well their leadership in rebuilding efforts in the long-term.