KSRelief winter aid reaches 150,000 Pakistanis in frost-hit areas

KSRelief officers reach the Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir, on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Picture courtesy: KSRelief)

The King Salman Relief Center distributes 1,000 winter bags in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khawa district of Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: KSRelief)

• KSRelief was the first international agency to reach Neelum Valley with aid
• The $1.5 million winter relief project was launched on Jan. 6

ISLAMABAD: King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) on Friday concluded its 2020 winter project to aid Pakistan’s poorest families amid the worst cold spell in decades.
The aid reached 21 regions in four provinces of the country, benefiting approximately 150,000 people, the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad said in a statement. 
The relief project reached residents of remote regions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, and Balochistan.
When in late January hundreds were killed and injured by avalanches and other extreme weather incidents, with the highest numbers of casualties reported in the Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir, KSRelief was the first international agency to arrive in mountain villages in the area with winter survival kits.
Muhammad Farooq, a resident of Surgan village in the region, told Arab News the snow-laden area was particularly difficult to access and the winter aid was life-saving for the community.
“This organization is the first one to reach us and these blankets and other items are very precious for us,” another resident, Afzaal Rafiqhe, told Arab News when the aid reached the village on Jan. 25.
The Saudi agency has also won hearts in other destitute regions, including Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“With my tiny salary it would not be possible for me to buy such things. KSRelief won many hearts and prayers,” Muhammad Irshad, a helper at a grocery shop at Landi Kotal bazaar near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, told Arab News upon receiving KSRelief’s winter package on Feb. 6. 
“My children along with my wife are glad and we have words to thank KSRelief. They supported us in this very difficult time,” he said. 
Hajji Rahman, a daily wager in Khyber, said his family has been “offering prayers for this generosity.” 
“Because of the very cold season I couldn’t work properly and due to that I could not mange to earn enough money to keep my kids warm,” he said.
On Jan. 6, KSRelief launched the $1.5 million winter relief project to distribute winter survival kits containing 180 tons of goods.
With one of the largest humanitarian aid budgets in the world, the organization has been working in 46 countries. Pakistan is the fifth-largest recipient of its assistance and has received more than $117.6 million in aid since 2005.