Childreach/Plan Rated Among Top Afghan Relief Charities

Childreach
Friday, 1 February 2002

Child sponsorship organization performs favorably by industry standards

Childreach/Plan was among 18 relief charities included on a distinguished list issued by the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP), a leading charity watchdog.

AIP identified these charities to help donors distinguish the many charities offering aid to the potentially 7.5 million Afghan refugees facing peril due to the devastating effects of drought, Civil War, and now military strikes.

Teaming with local companies and organizations, Childreach/Plan is striving to meet the immediate needs of more than 3,000 refugee families living in makeshift camps. As the crisis worsens, there is fear that space and supplies will become scarce.

Childreach/Plan programs are not new to Pakistan. In fact, for the past five years, the organization has focused its long-term development approach on the children of this country. During the past year, they have been forced to expand their programs to meet the needs of incoming Afghan refugees in the area as they continue to arrive in need of a wide array of services and support.

"The deepening humanitarian crisis is continuing to gravely affect Afghan civilians," according to Haider W. Yaqib, Plan Pakistan Program Manager. "The biggest sufferers of the present crisis are Afghan children."

Programs in Chaman, on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have been the most seriously straineed. Thousands of refugees arrived recently, many of them traveling as many as 20 days in poor conditions.

Education of refugee children during this crisis is a priority for Childreach/Plan's work. The organization is considered an expert in this area, having designed non-formal approaches to learning during the civil strife in Sierra Leone. Many of the children in the camps have no formal training, having worked in carpet weaving industries to support themselves and their families at a very young age.

In Islamabad, Childreach/Plan continues to meet with government officials to determine the refugees' needs in the areas of education, health, livelihood, and habitat. Childreach/Plan intends to work with the government to address the immediate needs of the people as well as prepare for the future.

The traditional approach of Childreach/Plan since its creation in 1937 is child sponsorship, linking caring Americans with children and families in developing communities around the world. That approach continues throughout Pakistan, however, the new influx of refugees has made the organization adapt its programs, raising funds for relief needs for the refugees such as food, shelter, clothing, and medical supplies.

For more information, or to contact Childreach, see their website at: www.childreach.org