KARACHI: Meta Donates 125 Million rupees to UNICEF, Hands, and Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) to aid communities affected by the tragic floods in Pakistan.
The donation will go toward emergency relief, food, water, and sanitation, as well as helping children return to school in Sindh, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.
Prior to the contribution, when the floods began, Facebook’s Safety Check was activated, allowing users to notify friends and family that they were okay. A Crisis page was also created, where people could utilise the Community Help function to request and volunteer assistance from various communities.
“Pakistan is experiencing one of the biggest natural disasters we have ever witnessed.” Millions of individuals have been affected, and the entire country has come together to help them at this tough time. “We hope that our efforts will help the people affected by the disaster, and our thoughts are with these towns and families as they attempt to recover,” said Jordi Fornies, Meta’s Director of Emerging Markets, APAC.
Furthermore, Meta’s ‘Data for Good’ programme has started its Disaster Maps programme and is supplying data to regional response partners. CrisisReady (a collaboration between Direct Relief and Harvard University) is one of those partners that has concentrated on merging data sources into situation reports that are used daily by thousands of on-the-ground first responders.
“Monsoon rains have damaged or entirely swept away people’s dwellings in recent weeks, affecting millions of people, including children.” With winter approaching in some parts of the nation, we require immediate assistance to continue our relief work in Pakistan and support for children and their families. “We want to thank Meta for all of her help,” stated Michael J. Nyenhuis, President and CEO of UNICEF USA.
Communities on Meta-owned platforms have raised over a million dollars for non-profits assisting with flood relief efforts. Leading non-governmental organisations from throughout the world have also raised significant funds through Facebook and Instagram.
“We will repair schools, ensure 2nd Chance Accelerated learning programmes with life skills (psychosocial support, climate change, and digital literacy), and provide cleanliness and health with dignity kits,” stated Baela Raza Jamil, CEO of ITA. This is a holistic and inclusive approach to #BuildingBackBetter by engaging families, communities, schools, parents, children, and notably adolescent females and teachers entrenched within government systems for effective emergency response and preparedness.”
Meta is constantly looking for new ways to help not only families in disaster-stricken areas, but also NGOs and other causes.