On the 16^th September 2022, I will be hiking Scafell Pike, England’s tallest mountain to raise money in aid of those affected by the catastrophic flooding that has ravaged Pakistan. I have chosen a task which will undoubtedly be challenging but can be undertaken with relatively short notice with the hope to raise urgent funding. To put the scale of the disaster into context, a third of the country is now underwater, which would be equivalent to the entire landmass of the UK.

Following record monsoon rainfall, Pakistan has been devastated by a deadly flood which has killed 1,300 people of which 400 are children; 6.4 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid and 33 million people, 15% of Pakistan’s population has been impacted by the floods. A third of the country is underwater and more than 1.6 million homes have been badly damaged or destroyed leaving many homeless and exposed to the elements.

People need food, clean drinking water and shelter; waterborne diseases are spreading. Entire communities have been swept away; schools, roads, crops and livelihoods are gone; the flood described by the UN as a “climate catastrophe” will have a long lasting impact on the country.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is an umbrella group of 15 UK charities which coordinates and launches collective appeals to raise funds to provide emergency aid and rapid relief to people caught up in disasters and humanitarian crises around the world. Charities include Oxfam, British Red Cross, Islamic Relief and the International Rescue Committee. DEC charities are providing life-saving aid either directly or through local partners.

• £10 could provide essential hygiene supplies for
  two people 
• £50 could provide emergency shelter for two
  families 
• £100 could provide emergency food for two
  families for a month