Conflict in Pakistan

Mass displacement

• Around 3 million people forced to flee their homes
• Hundreds of thousands in need of shelter, food, clean water and health facilities

Oxfam has an ongoing emergency response to support up to 520,000 people.

What your money can buy

£60 – Build a bathing enclosure

With £60 Oxfam can create an area of enclosed space where women can wash, and go about their daily duties in privacy. It is especially stressful for women of this culture to be doing these in public. Donate now

£20 – Buy a hygiene kit

With £20 we can buy a hygiene kit for a family of seven, including a plastic bucket with lid for collecting water, a water storage unit with tap, and antiseptic, laundry and dishwashing soap. Donate now

£11 – Buy a farming kit

With £11 you can make a difference to the lives of conflict-affected families in Pakistan by enabling us to supply them with this set of farming tools. Donate now

Oxfam's emergency response in Pakistan is supported by AusAID, ECHO, DfID and Unicef

Learn more

• Situation overview
• Oxfam's response

On the ground

In May, conflict in the Swat Valley of the North West Frontier Province forced over 2 million people to flee their homes in the most rapidly growing displacement in history. As winter approaches, an estimated 900,000 people still have not been able to return home, while many of those returning to their homes have missed two harvests, have no seeds to plant, and have lost their animals.

If that was not enough, in the last few weeks at least 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in South Waziristan as the Pakistan government continues their offensive against militants.

In pictures: Pakistan's displaced people

The large majority of displaced people remain with over-burdened host families and relatives, the rest in official camps for displaced people. These people continue to need food, shelter, water, and sanitation and health facilities. Without these, they are vulnerable to the outbreak of diseases including diarrhoea, malaria and skin diseases.

Newly displaced people from Waziristan also have the need for basic items for cooking and hygiene, as most fled without their belongings. 

Learn about Oxfam's response

Oxfam is there

Oxfam has been carrying out an emergency response since the beginning of the crisis, and is currently providing support to around 520,000 displaced women, men and children in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.

In pictures: Oxfam's emergency response

For displaced people we have prioritised the provision of clean water, sanitation and shelter, especially in the host communities, small camps and schools. Our staff have installed latrines and demonstrated how to use them and keep them clean.

Our response has also involved distributing hygiene and household items including cooking pots and utensils, buckets, water coolers and soap to over 40,000 families.

To address the urgent need for safe drinking water we have been installing hand pumps and rehabilitating shallow wells and boreholes. We have also built safe and hygienic bathing areas and latrines in camps. In the host families, we have been providing construction material and technical support so that families can build their own latrines.

Our staff are also organising hygiene promotion campaigns in schools and camps, and are conducting household visits to build people’s knowledge on health and hygiene. 181 community health volunteers, half of them women, have been recruited and trained on safe hygienic practices, passing these messages on to over 30,000 individuals.

Oxfam is also supporting 15,000 returning families to re-establish their lives. For farmers we are providing seeds and agricultural tools through the crucial winter planting season. We are helping returning communities through projects that help to repair damage and provide an income to people with few other means of support. In addition we are giving cash to 8,000 of the most vulnerable families, to help them buy the basic items they need to re-establish their lives.

We continue to call on all sides in the conflict to take special care to avoid harming civilians, and to allow humanitarian workers safe access to help people affected by the conflict wherever they are.

Update: 16 November 2009