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There Is a Good Plan
Posted by: CARE on June 4, 2009 at 1:24PM EST

Blog by Thomas Schwarz of CARE Germany-Luxemburg
May 23, 2009

Yesterday, I was invited to attend a meeting of the United Nations. A dozen people – diplomats, government officials and organizations like CARE – met at the national library of Pakistan, located directly next to the prime minister’s house. The only topic of the meeting was: How can we help the refugees in the best, most efficient and safest manner? It was interesting to observe how everybody is working together during such a crisis. On one side, there is the government of Pakistan. It was represented by Hina Rabbani Khan, the minister in charge of helping with the crisis. On the other side is the United Nations. And there are the diplomats, speaking for their respective countries, praising the plan. The plan, loosely translated as “Humanitarian solution for Pakistan,” is 124 pages. This volume demonstrates the complexities of large catastrophes like this one.

Protection and care for children

CARE frequently works with the United Nations. Some say we are “prime partners” because we have such a long and versatile experience in humanitarian work. For example, we’ve worked in the refugee camps in Daadab, Kenya, during the crisis in Georgia last year and loaned our assistance after the tsunami in Asia in 2004. Now, the United Nations has bestowed upon us another task: helping the refugees in Pakistan.

For thousands of children in Pakistan today, it is important to get psychosocial assistance in order to handle their traumatic experiences. As a part of this work, CARE is helping organize school lessons for the refugee children. Most of the children are between five and 11 years old. Yesterday, at a donor meeting, I met a school teacher who works one and a half hours away from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. He told me, “When the children study together, they forget the hours of war and the noise of the arms for a few hours. Then, they are fine. At least for this short time.”

Once the noise of the rifles stops completely, it is our task to protect their souls.
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