1. Pakistan floods

2. Heavy monsoon rains in northern Pakistan have resulted in what Ashraf Mall – Tearfund’s Pakistan Country Representative – describes as ‘one of the biggest floods in the history of Pakistan.’

3. So far, 1,500 people have been killed. More than 3 million people are affected, and countless homes and livelihoods have been swept away.

4. Mir Akber Khan (below) lives with his wife and three children in the village of Kanderay. They survived the floods. But their home, their animals and their small shop – the family livelihood – were destroyed. ‘Thousands of people like me need help,’ says Mir Akber.

5. Tearfund has been working with Pakistani communities since 1975. With our local partners, we are responding to this disaster. Tearfund partner SSEWA- Pak is providing vulnerable families such as Mir Akber’s with urgently needed food supplies (right), plastic sheeting for shelter, health and hygiene kits and basic cooking utensils.

6. In addition, we are working to avert further disaster by ensuring villages downstream – yet to be hit by flood waters – are better prepared. Our work with affected communities is long-term – when the waters have subsided, we will help them rebuild homes and livelihoods.

7. Please pray… Please pray for the people affected by this disaster. Pray that those who have lost loved ones, friends and neighbours will know the Lord’s comfort. Pray specifically for the health of survivors. Many health centres have been destroyed, and the prevalence of water-borne diseases such as cholera is already on the increase due to the floods. Pray for the rain and flood waters to relent, and for rescue and humanitarian efforts to reach those in need quickly. Ask God to be with the Pakistani authorities. Pray they will act with wisdom, speed and compassion to help affected communities.

8. Please pray…(continued) In the coming days, the flooding will move down river, further into Pakistan. Preventative work is underway to help prepare vulnerable communities. Please pray for this work. Many transport and communication links are down, making it hard for aid workers to move forward. Please pray for Tearfund’s partner staff as they work in this environment. Please pray for Ashraf, Tearfund’s Pakistan Country Representative, and his colleague Obed, who are working incredibly hard to support our local partners.

9. Lord God, we praise you because you know and love every person affected by the floods in Pakistan, and because you are with them in their suffering. We pray for the communities affected by these floods, that they will feel your love, comfort and hope around them today. God, we ask for your hand to be upon the response to this disaster. Strengthen decision-makers and aid workers, enabling them to bring help and hope to those who desperately need it. We pray specifically for local churches and Tearfund’s partners. Lord, help them to be your hands and feet. As part of your worldwide church, we ask these things in Jesus’ name, Amen. A prayer for Pakistan

10. All photos: Ashraf Mall/Tearfund To find out more, and to donate to Tearfund’s Pakistan Floods Appeal, visit http://www.tearfund.ie Thank you for being part of a miracle.