TSF Still Calling In Pakistan — Reconnecting Families (SATCOM)

[SatNews] Reports from Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) in north western KPK Province and southern Sindh Province indicate that their calling operations are continuing. TSF is working with their two implementing partner Pakistani Non Governement Organizations (NGOs) Youth Resources Center (YRC) and Hope and Transformation for Poverty (HTP).

In total, from August 20th to September 8th, calls were offered to 10,214 affected families. It means that more than 70,000 people were re-connected throughout the world thanks to a simple phone call.

There have been eight mobile teams working in this province since August 20th, in which they have visited more than 150 locations in Charsadda, Nowshera, Peshawar and Swat districts, enabling both men and women to make a call.

On September 4th, indications were that the needs in telecommunications for the population were covered in Peshawar district. Therefore, the teams redeployed in the Swat district where important needs were also identified during preliminary assessments.

On September seventh, almost 5,900 families in KPK Province were able to get in touch with loved ones in Pakistan or abroad. Results revealed that 48 percent of the calls were made by women. To date five teams have thus far visited over 20 locations in Hyderabad and Jamshoro districts of Sindh Province.

From September second to the eighth, the teams have provided free calls to more than 4,300 affected families, with more than 600 calls made everyday. Only 2 percent of the calls are international ones. TSF’s head of mission reports that affected families in Sindh Province are very poor. They have been displaced from Baluchistan and have few family members abroad. As a result they request to contact relatives elsewhere in the country.

The team reports that they adapt to the needs of the Provinces and the situation in the field. In Sindh Province, they work in very big camps where tens of thousands of people are sheltered. The teams set up phoning centers, installing telecommunications equipment and banners, informing the population of the services. They also go and meet affected families in their tents.

In all areas, living conditions for the survivors remained very precarious, most of them lacking of food and water, and sanitary conditions being deplorable. The Vodafone Foundation has made an immediate donation of £24,000 to the Oxfam appeal to purchase 2,000 family hygiene kits for the Pakistan relief effort.

TSF’s partners with Vodafone and the Vodafone Foundation which has allocated £50,000 to the relief effort in Pakistan supporting the Disasters Emergency Appeal in the UK.