Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is implementing a Covid-19 response project in Pakistan by supporting vulnerable communities worst affected by the pandemic.
The project is aimed at meeting the basic food needs of families in four provinces. In consultation with district administrations, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) selected the beneficiaries and procured the food supplies through a public tender, as per the relevant applicable regulations.
Currently, the field personnel are distributing 800 food parcels, 25kg each with $20,000 funding from QRCS. It covers 800 families or 4,800 persons in the provinces of Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and TDs, with special focus on daily wagers, widows, people with disabilities (PWDs), and people who lost their livelihoods due to Covid-19.
Pakistan is quite vulnerable to climatic and human-induced disasters. The country is among the top-10 most vulnerable countries of the world that are exposed to natural disasters, according to the Global Risks Report 2020.
Besides, the Covid-19 pandemic badly affected the majority of the population, particularly those with low income. The ongoing pandemic situation further triggered the risk of poverty and unemployment.
QRCS is a long-term, reliable, and dedicated partner to PRCS, and has consistently been engaged in humanitarian services through different response activities to assist the most vulnerable.
This project is part of QRCS’s initiative to back the fellow National Societies in 22 countries across six continents, aimed at protecting 320,000 persons against the virus, with a total budget of QR2,236,827.
These countries are: Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Laos, Vanuatu, Ethiopia, Chad, Senegal, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Mali, Sierra Leone, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Venezuela, El Salvador, Peru, and Panama.
The list of activities conducted by QRCS in support of those countries includes provision of equipment and supplies for health facilities, provision of medicines and medical supplies, protection for medical professionals and volunteers, provision of food and shelter for families worst affected by loss of income, and provision of protective supplies (masks, gloves, sanitisers, among others).