Oxfam Australia

Last week world champion boxer Amir Khan visited Pakistan with Oxfam, and saw first-hand what life is like for people who have lost everything in the floods.

At a UN conference in Melbourne this week, Oxfam together with World Vision and Fred Hollows Foundation called for the freezing of Pakistan’s debt – and an increase in aid from the international community to help the flood-stricken nation.

Oxfam’s humanitarian advocacy officer in Islamabad, Rebecca Barber, writes in the Age about the unfathomable human suffering caused by the Pakistan floods, and the desperate need from the international community for more aid.

Shikarpur district in Sindh province of Pakistan was hit by unexpected flooding. People are still shocked and helpless, and according to official figures around 300,000 people are displaced in the district. Oxfam is there to assess the situation and launch a rapid response. Madiha Shafi, Oxfam’s program officer in Pakistan wrote this emotional piece about her visit to Shikarpur.

Qasim Berech, 30, is a public health expert with Oxfam in Pakistan. He travelled to Upper Swat on 16 August. This is his account of the journey.