When the Sindh province of Pakistan flooded in late 2011, hundreds of thousands became displaced. Survivors could receive aid such as food and clothing only when they possessed a government-issued “Pakistan card,” available at government collection centers. Retrieving this card would normally only be socially appropriate for the male head of household. If a woman’s husband didn’t survive the flood, she became responsible for obtaining the card for her family at these centers; but women in rural areas usually lacked the wherewithal to access the centers or the knowledge of how to do so. In order to ensure a gendered response to the disaster JAAGO Foundation (JAAGO) requested funds to establish a Women’s Helpline Center to assist women in registering for their cards and coordinate with the government to issue them. They also requested funds for women to travel to flood-affected areas to raise awareness of the Center.
The mission of JAAGO is to generate widespread societal demand and commitment for a socially just, democratic, caring and gender-responsive society in Pakistan, where all citizens, women and men, are recognized as equal, with the right to lead their lives with self-respect and dignity.
