Pakistan Flooding First Hand View COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Pakistan Flooding First Hand View COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog One of the great benefits of SIPA is that no matter where in the world something is happening, you will likely share a class with someone from the place where x is happening.   Just yesterday I received an email from an incoming student from Pakistan.   He wrote a post for the SIPA student blog, The Morningside Post (TMP). Yes, SIPA students have their own blog and I would recommend adding it to your RSS feeds as well.   He has experienced the horrific floods in Pakistan first hand and this is a short part of his entry, visit TMP for the entire post: Flood-hit Jampur, Pakistan (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash) Despite these odds, the unbelievable resilience of the Pakistani people continues to amaze me. A sad, constant stream of images of people wading through flood water or being marooned on roof tops and trees can be seen on the national electronic and print media. Yet in the faces of these people one can see a will to survive and live that is hard to describe in words. They have lost their homes, lands, livestock and in many cases their loved ones, but continue to struggle and cope as best they can. These millions of flood victims need our continued support. The government needs to perform better so that the trust of the people and the international community can be restored in its ability to conduct the massive relief and rehabilitation effort that is required. With the monsoons predicted to stay around in the coming weeks, the future still looks uncertain. I feel tormented having to leave Pakistan at this time in order to join Columbia for the start of my graduate degree. However, there is consolation in thinking that I might be able to increase awareness about the plight of my countrymen through this blog. I would urge everyone reading this to please contribute to one of the many international aid agencies currently operating in Pakistan. We are extremely grateful for every cent or penny that is donated. But most of all, our gratitude is reserved for the international community’s wishes and prayers, and the hope that we will not be forgotten in this trying time.