Pakistan aid slow to arrive

By Debbie Hadley and Jordan Condra
Monsoon season in late July resulted in the worst flood Pakistan has ever had. The devastation has displaced millions of Pakistanis and more than 1,600 are reported dead. Yet the U.S. media has been slow to provide coverage of the crisis.

Rashad Rogers, a Pima Community College political science major, criticized the response.

“I think it’s an outrage,” he said. “That’s what the press is for but no one is talking about it and no one wants to talk about it.”

While entire villages have been ruined, and water and food are short in supply, contributions to Pakistan are less than donations for Haiti earthquake relief. Billions of dollars less.

International aid pledged totals more than $800 million so far, while donors have pledged nearly $10 billion in aid to Haiti.

One reason for the stark difference: studies show that media coverage concentrates on natural disasters with higher death tolls.

The flood in Pakistan, which happened much more slowly than an immediate catastrophe such as an earthquake, put many houses and acres of land under water but does not have the dramatic effect of other natural disasters.

Another factor could be Pakistan’s public image in the United States.

A recent CNN poll found that 78 percent of Americans hold mostly unfavorable views of
Pakistan.

Many Pakistanis also share a dislike for Americans. A July poll conducted by the Pew Research Center Global Attitudes Project showed that 59 percent of Pakistanis described the United States as an “enemy.”
The U.S. government has taken steps to help Pakistan. Dan Feldman, the Obama administration’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has said the United States will provide up to $150 million in aid.

U.S. helicopters have also helped provide medical transport for displaced Pakistanis living in temporary camps. The flood has created an infestation of water-borne diseases.

Both Feldman and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have downplayed suggestions that U.S. aid is aimed at boosting America’s image with Pakistanis.

“We’re doing it as a response to a humanitarian crisis,” Feldman said.

Krystal Hardiman, a PCC veterinary technician student, pointed out the irony.

“We’re giving them aid and they say that they don’t like us,” she said. “I just think they could show a little bit more respect to the United States because we are out there helping them.”

Pakistan isn’t the only country to react that way, Hardiman added. “We give more money in donations than any other country in the world to countries that are in need and don’t like us. But that’s the United States – that’s the beauty of it.”

Chris Messer, a PCC theater major, believes Americans should provide aid because Pakistan is suffering. “There are a lot of people that have lost everything they’ve got.”

To help with the Pakistan flood relief effort, look to the sidebar below. The international groups listed are reputable organizations that help ensure donations go to people in need.

How to donate

American Red Cross

www.redcross.org

1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-435-7669)

UNICEF United States Fund

www.unicefusa.org

1-800-FOR-KIDS (1-800-367-5437)

Doctors Without Borders

www.doctorswithoutborders.org

1-888-392-0392

Oxfam America

www.oxfamamerica.org

800-77-OXFAM

U.N. World Food Program

www.wfp.org