News

This World Children’s Day, Rangers Charity Foundation supports UNICEF UK’s Pakistan Floods Appeal with a £25,000 donation to help provide rapid assistance to children and their families.

A third of Pakistan was under water following catastrophic flooding in the country, leaving millions of families and children displaced. Heavy rainfall flooded all four provinces and has already claimed thousands of lives. The Government of Pakistan reports that at least 33 million people have been affected by this climate disaster and that many of the families affected are refugees who recently fled Afghanistan.

Children in the hardest-hit regions were already suffering from malnutrition. Flash floods have devastated their lives further as access to clean water and food has become even more restricted.

Homes and schools have been washed away with livestock and crops having been completely wiped out in large areas.

UNICEF is working with the local authorities to help affected families and children by providing access to safe drinking water, life-saving medical supplies, medicines and vaccines supplies, and hygiene kits for children and families to prevent disease outbreaks and treat malnutrition. UNICEF teams are also establishing temporary learning centres and providing protection and support for children impacted by the floods. The Rangers Charity Foundation has worked closely with the world’s leading children’s charity, UNICEF, since the start of season 2008/09 when UNICEF UK was announced as the Foundation’s first International Charity Partner.

Our donation of £25,000 could provide enough ready-to-use therapeutic food to help treat 530 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

Foundation Director Connal Cochrane said:

“We are deeply saddened to see and hear about the devastation that the flooding in Pakistan is causing and the ongoing threat to children and families affected.

We know many people in communities locally and throughout Scotland and the UK will have family members directly affected, and we hope this donation will help at such a difficult time.”

The Foundation’s longstanding international partner, UNICEF is always there for children and families in times of crisis and we are proud to support yet another important cause on a day that reminds us of some of the desperate challenges which many children are facing around the world.”

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive at The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), said:

“Heavy floods in Pakistan continue to disrupt life, impacting millions of children and their families. Our teams continue to respond to the growing needs in country. However, much more is needed to reach all the families displaced by floods and help them overcome this climate disaster in a country that is the world’s fifth most populated.

At a time when we need urgent financial support to scale-up our response, we are grateful for the timely and continued support of our partners.  That’s why I would like to thank Rangers Charity Foundation for standing by children in the most difficult of times, by supporting to our work.”

UNICEF Image credits: Sami Malik and Moin