ICRC launches large-scale economic assistance in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 5 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society have launched the first stage of an extensive economic assistance program for families affected by violence in the country's northwest, the ICRC said in a statement Thursday.

The program is the largest recovery effort undertaken by the organizations in Malakand Division in relation to the current crisis, the ICRC said.

Over 315,000 people will receive wheat seeds and fertilizer in Dir and Buner as part of the program. ICRC specialists will work closely with local experts to monitor the progress of the crop until its harvest next May, when most families are expected to be self-reliant again. Until then, the ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent will continue to provide those most in need with food.

"We have provided emergency assistance since late May, but our priority today is to help Malakand families to rapidly become self-reliant," said Pascal Cuttat, the head of the ICRC delegation in Pakistan. "We expect this program to help kick-start local agriculture and boost small business, which is indispensable if the people affected are to lead dignified lives."

"We would like to eventually extend this program to Swat but are unable do so at the moment," said Muhammad Sheikh Ali, the head of the ICRC's economic security program in Pakistan. "Assistance on this scale requires direct supervision, and at present we are not yet assured of continuous access."

The economy in this part of the North West Frontier Province was shattered by months of heavy fighting earlier this year, which destroyed infrastructure and forced over two million residents to flee their homes. Not only were they unable to harvest their wheat crops, but they also lost livestock, ran down their savings.

Most families have now returned to their homes, but their efforts to rebuild their lives are seriously hampered by lack of resources.

The ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent have provided aid for close to a million people adversely affected by violence in Malakand Division since late April.