Humanitarian aid for children in Pakistan

They live in damp houses, surrounded by water, and fight against malaria, dengue fever, and chikungunya. The Sohubatpur district in Balochistan was already hit four times by flooding from monsoon rains and overflowing rivers between 2010 and 2022 – and now again, when a canal breached the riverbank in August 2024.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the floodwaters, and the infrastructure is severely damaged. Almost all of the more than 35 schools are affected. The entire region is without power for 18 hours a day.

But: The children of Sohbatpur never stopped learning . "We're not stopping classes just because we no longer have a building ," says one teacher. "We want to give the children an education, even if we don't have the infrastructure and facilities."

The children of Sohbatpur have learned to live with the disaster. "We can't wait for an ideal environment and a fully equipped school," says a ninth-grade boy. "Because the chances of restoring the infrastructure in the near future are slim."

But in eight villages, the children were lucky: The Gender and Development Organization (GEO), with support from Terre des Hommes , has begun to rebuild their schools. The buildings are being repaired, three computer libraries are being set up in the secondary schools, children's clubs are being established, and sporting events are being organized. "I now have access to a computer ," says Naseema happily. She is 15 years old and in the 9th grade. "I never dared to dream of this. I just feel sorry for the girls in the neighboring villages who aren't so lucky."

Salam Dharejo ( Terre des Hommes Coordinator for Pakistan)