WALK for Life April 2012 india: Focus Humanitarian Assistance india .

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Compassion and volunteerism save Pakistan’s most vulnerable

They call it the Lion River because on a dark night the noises it makes while passing through narrow gorges can easily be mistaken for the roars of an enraged lion. Originating as a small glacial spring in the Tibetan mountain, the Indus River passes through the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and gradually culminates in an enormous water body, fed by hundreds of powerful torrents.

Some people praise the regions surrounding the Indus River as a cradle of civilisations and a benefactor of the world’s oldest human settlements. However, the millions of people recently displaced by the lethal waves of the flooded Indus might feel otherwise. The massive flooding has caused devastation across the region, destroying more than 1.4 million acres of cropland and over one million homes. The result has been nothing short of one of the world’s largest natural disasters.

MOre @ >>> http://www.theismaili.org/cms/1163/Compassion-and-volunteerism-save-Pakistans-most-vulnerable

Update from Focus Humanitarian Assistance

 17 May 2010 — Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) would like to provide the Jamat with a brief follow-up update on its collaboration with Jamati institutions, Aga Khan Development Network agencies and Pakistan’s national agencies in response to the devastating landslide that occurred in the Attabad village of Hunza Valley in Pakistan on 4 January 2010.
The landslide adversely impacted the three villages of Attabad, Sarat and Ahmadabad, with 19 casualities, 2 missing persons and 7 severely injured people, in addition to the 170 households that were displaced. At the time of the disaster, FOCUS deployed Search and Rescue Teams and Disaster Assessment Response Teams to initiate search and rescue operations. Further, with the assistance and cooperation of various AKDN agencies as well as the Ismaili Council for Pakistan, food, relief and temporary shelters in Central Hunza were provided to the displaced communities.

MOre @ >>>> http://www.theismaili.org/cms/1003/spinner

Focus Humanitarian Assistance Provides Relief for Landslide Victims in Hunza, Pakistan

Attabad Village, Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, 13 January 2010: Focus Humanitarian Assistance is providing relief to four villages in northern Pakistan that were struck by a devastating landslide on 4 January 2010.

According to initial disaster assessment reports, Attabad Payeen, Attabad Bala, Sarat and Ayeenabad were directly affected by the massive landslide in Hunza valley, which killed thirteen people and injured nine others. Six people are still reported missing. Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS), Pakistan’s voluntary Search and Rescue Team (SART), Disaster Assessment Response Team, Community Emergency Response Team and Village Emergency Response Teams were immediately mobilised to respond to the emergency


MOre @ >>> http://www.akdn.org/Content/952




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Fatal landslide in Hunza Valley threatens to flood villages

A massive landslide in the Hunza Valley on 4 January damaged and buried the villages of Attabad Payeen, Attabad Bala and Sarat in the northern Pakistan territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, killing at least 19 people and rendering over 250 families homeless.
Debris and boulders from the landslide have blocked the Hunza River and the Karakorum Highway, the main transportation route in the area. Rising water levels present a growing threat to neighbouring villages both upstream and downstream from the disaster area, and some 20 000 people in the upper part of the valley have been cut off from their major supply route, threatening a shortage of food and other necessities.

MOre @ >>> http://www.theismaili.org/cms/929/spinner

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FOCUS recognised for its disaster response and relief efforts in the wake of hurricanes

At a Gala Dinner on 9 October, the South Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) of Houston, Texas honoured Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) with the 2009 Outstanding Community Organization Award for their disaster response and relief efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, Rita and Ike that affected the Southern United States.
 
More @ >>> http://www.theismaili.org/cms/919/spinner
 
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A summer adventure: FOCUS Hike4Life in Kyrgyzstan

“Kyrgyzstan? Where in the world is that?” my friend asked me when I informed him that I would be travelling to Kyrgyzstan, for the summer 2009 FOCUS Hike4Life.

A double rainbow greeted the participants on their first day of hiking. Photo: Alim Nagji

The Kyrgyz Republic is a landlocked country in Central Asia that shares borders with Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south and China to the east. It is highly mountainous, with some 80 per cent of the country covered by the Tian Shan mountain range, and includes within its borders Lake Issyk-Kul, the second largest mountain lake in the world.

The eight-day hike took us approximately 100 kilometres through the mountains surrounding the lake, before ending along the shore of Issyk-Kul for a relaxing evening of local musical entertainment in Cholpon-Ata

More @ >>>> http://www.theismaili.org/cms/881/


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Building Disaster-Resilient Communities in Afghanistan

Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) Afghanistan is currently implementing a Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR) project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The CBDRR project seeks to increase awareness and disaster-resilience in highly vulnerable communities by strengthening local capacity to anticipate, prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters.


More @ >>>> http://www.akdn.org/Content/857



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Volunteer search and rescue team is the highlight of FOCUS event

FOCUS provides emergency relief to communities suffering from natural disasters or man-made crises.

In May, Focus Humanitarian Assistance celebrated its 15th anniversary with An Evening with Focus, held at the Ismaili Centre, London. The event created awareness of the integral role that FOCUS and its volunteers play in communities around the world.

An affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network, FOCUS aims to foster disaster-resilience in communities that are particularly vulnerable to natural and man-made disaster. It also extends humanitarian relief and recovery in the wake of disasters.

Approximately 250 people attended the event, and 180 people, from 18 different countries, watched it live over the internet. The evening included four presentations, each portraying a unique aspect of FOCUS’ work.

More @ >>>> http://www.theismaili.org/cms/777



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Focus Humanitarian Assistance Receives UN Disaster Reduction Award

Focus Humanitarian Assistance (Pakistan) was selected by the Jury of the 2009 UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction to receive a Certificate of Merit for enhancing disaster risk reduction. Chairman Amyn Dossa, together with the Executive Officer Ghulam Panjwani, received the award at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2nd forum, on behalf of Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) from Sir John Holmes, the Under Secretary for humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

The United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster reduction is one of the three prestigious awards established in 1986 by founding Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Mr Ryoichi Sasakawa. The Award is managed by the UNISDR secretariat and presented to individuals/institutions that have been selected by independent jury for their outstanding contributions to disaster prevention and vulnerability reduction worldwide.

http://www.akdn.org/press_release.asp?ID=770


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