From The Church Times-
PAKISTANI Christians in the UK have called on fellow churchgoers to send financial support to areas of Pakistan affected by floods. More than 1600 people have died, and 14 million have been hit by the devastating monsoon rains.
The effects of the flood disaster are thought to be worse than those of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the Kashmir earthquake in 2005, and the earthquake in Haiti combined, in terms of people affected, the United Nations has said.
The Disasters Emergency Committee’s Pakistan Floods Appeal has so far raised more than £7 million pounds, but getting aid to flooded areas is proving difficult.
The Bishop of Peshawar, the Rt Revd Humphrey Sarfraz Peters, has visited Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in north-west Pakistan. “Our Christians, who are already deprived and marginalised, are in pathetic conditions. They have lost almost everything in their houses; they could only save their lives.” He asked for prayers for the minority Chris tian population in the region, who, he said, would receive “hardly any thing” from international aid pack ages.
The diocese has launched an emergency relief and rescue programme for the 1300 Christian families affected. The Church of Ireland has pledged ¤10,000 to this fund.
The vice-chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), Wilson Chowdhry, said: “We are asking brothers and sisters up and down the country to pray for a speedy restoration of the homes and livelihoods of the affected local people. . . The BPCA
is raising a fund for the victims of the flooding. The money raised will not be used in any projects that are singularly for the benefit of the Christian community, but will be used in generic, inclusive projects.”
More here-
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=98938
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