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What we did

The British Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which, working hand in hand with the Pakistan Red Crescent and the Pakistan government, provided assistance to around one million people.Helicopter hovering above crowd on mountainside

Within 48 hours of the earthquake the British Red Cross sent four logisticians to Pakistan to help distribute emergency relief supplies. This team was replaced each month by a new unit of logisticians until January 2006. In total, we sent out more than 18 experts in logistics, water and sanitation, and health and spent an incredible £16.5 million bringing emergency aid to those affected by the disaster.

After the quake, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helicopters evacuated around 1,000 injured people from remote areas to Islamabad and the ICRC field hospital in Muzaffarabad.

Support through winter

The Red Cross provided basic healthcare for almost half a million people in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which were the worst-affected areas.Men carrying corrugated iron sheet
In addition, a total of 40 water supply schemes were repaired, bringing clean, drinkable water to people in the affected areas.

In 2006, the Red Cross helped more than 94,000 people through a second winter by supplying iron sheets, tarpaulins, construction kits, thermal blankets and cooking kits. The earthquake caused considerable loss of agricultural land in Pakistan and as a result the majority of households were unable to plant winter wheat. We provided families with seeds, fertilisers and tools so they could start growing their own food again.

By the end of September 2006, 416 tracing requests, from people seeking relatives missing since the earthquake were submitted either to the ICRC family links website or collected by the ICRC and Pakistan Red Crescent in the field. Out of the tracing requests submitted, 223 cases have been closed altogether.

British Red Cross support

At the beginning of 2007, the Red Cross moved from relief operations into a recovery phase. The British Red Cross identified a number of marginalised communities in the remote NWFP, which were receiving little or no support from other organisations.Man crouching in front of rocks

As part of our strategy to meet humanitarian needs that are not being met by others, we completed schemes to provide drinking water to four remote mountainous villages, as well as providing the materials necessary to support improvements in two more remote villages.

We also supported the re-building of a girls’ middle school in Mera Bakot, Jammu and Kashmir for 250 pupils.

Find out about recovery work carried out by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 

More about the Pakistan earthquake

Updated 24 July 2009
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© British Red Cross 2010
British Red Cross, UK Office, 44 Moorfields, London EC2Y 9AL Phone: 0844 871 11 11. Fax: 020 7562 2000.

The British Red Cross Society, incorporated by Royal Charter 1908, is a charity registered in England and Wales (220949) and Scotland (SC037738).