ISLAMABAD: One year after the devastating floods in Pakistan, millions of people still need urgent support in the country. As UNICEF reported, over 1.5 million children require lifesaving nutrition interventions; floods damaged vital infrastructure, including thirty thousand schools, two thousand health facilities, and 4,300 water systems; as well as access to safe drinking water and sanitation remains worryingly low.
As demonstrated by US Ambassador Donald Blome’s fourth visit to Sindh on 10-11 October, the United States is still hard at work, assisting the poorest, hardest-hit areas of Pakistan to rebuild and recover. Specifically, the US is helping Pakistan meet urgent needs in the areas of water, education, and health care.
US Support to Pakistan
During his visit, the envoy celebrated the opening of the 100th school constructed as part of the Sindh Basic Education Program. By 2024, over 80,000 girls and boys will study in 106 new, climate-resilient school buildings funded by USAID.
These state-of-the-art facilities come with science and computer labs, modern furniture, and a library.
They also serve as flood-resilient safe havens and key platforms for parent and community engagement.
US support has also transformed the way that the people of Jacobabad access safe drinking water.
Access to clean, safe drinking water is one of the main pillars of the US-Pakistan “Green Alliance” framework. Today, thanks to a 36.7 million dollar deal with the Sindh Planning and Development Department, sanitation, water, and hygiene services in Jacobabad for the city’s 300,000 residents have improved.
The program includes the installation of a water filtration plan and delivery system, improved garbage collection, and improvement of the city’s wastewater sewage system. During his trip, the envoy visited the Municipal Services Program Water Filtration Plant, completed in 2020, part of a 24.4 million dollar water filtration and delivery system project funded by USAID.
Millions of women and children under five need critical nutrition services and lifesaving care. With support from @USAID_Pakistan, the Basic Health Unit in Khairpur is saving lives. Ambassador Blome visited today to draw attention to Pakistan’s malnutrition emergency. pic.twitter.com/4JJvsKcAEn
— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) October 11, 2023
The Ambassador also visited the Basic Health Unit in Khairpur, a front-line health facility helping respond to the country’s acute malnutrition emergency and improve lives and health outcomes in flood-hit districts across Sindh. With support from USAID, the Basic Health Unit provides nutrition counseling, screening, ready-to-use Therapeutic Food, and treatment to improve the health of minors under five years old and females who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
