The flooded regions of Daddu and Shikarpur are among the most difficult areas for aid and relief workers to reach. The terrain is almost impassable.
But this coming Friday -- September 3 -- Faisal Kapadia and Awab Alvi, having received urgent calls for help from there, will embark on a mission to deliver food and supplies.
How is this possible? Faisal and Awab have the machines and skills to make an impossible trip possible -- Jeeps. Ardent off-roaders, just a few weeks ago neither imagined using their cars and off-roading skills to save lives and bring supplies to such areas."We never thought of that," Kapadia said. "But when you see things happen like this, you can't just sit on the side and watch thousands of people die."Along with members of their unofficial club, Offroaders Pakistan, they have been working to deliver aid to regions others have not been able to reach.
The club was formed to encourage people to learn about and explore the natural beauty of Pakistan. Most of the club members have rebuilt their own Jeeps and are able to fix almost any problem. They're prepared with spare axles, driveshaft crosses, bearings -- along with supplies for those stranded and in desperate need.
They have delivered a week's worth of food rations to over 22,000 people, ready-to-eat meals for one person to 25,000, and shelter for 285 families in the form of durable tents that house up to eight people
They have raised over $24,000 USD online, and more than triple that figure offline. All of this is going to the flood victims and being delivered to them by the Offroader's own hands.
Adapted from a story sent by Faisal Kapadia, an Entrepreneur, Writer, Blogger based in Karachi, Pakistan.
http://www.deadpanthoughts.com/
http://blog.dawn.com/2010/08/16/without-a-roof-over-their-heads-2/
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If you have a story from the Pakistan floods, please email it to chris@ted.com (Pakistan floods: the stories we're not being told http://bit.ly/9RI2Jm).
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(posted by Jane Wulf)