Return to listing
Stamford, CT September 26, 2006 – AmeriCares was honored on September 21 by Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf, with the Sitara-i-Eisaar (Star of Sacrifice) award. The awards ceremony, held at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, D.C, acknowledged AmeriCares tireless and comprehensive relief efforts following the earthquake that devastated Pakistan nearly a year ago, leaving over three million people without medical aid, shelter, food and water.
In the weeks following the 7.6 earthquake last October, AmeriCares delivered two airlifts, providing over 140,000 pounds of immediate emergency aid including essential medicines, medical supplies, antibiotics and basic first aid valued at over $8.5 million. In December, AmeriCares delivered and constructed a semi-permanent 15-bed field hospital that provided health care to an area of 150,000 residents. AmeriCares also airlifted over one million doses of life-saving vaccines, to protect young children against Haemophilus influenzae type b (HIB), a major cause of invasive bacterial disease. Currently, AmeriCares is working with the World Health Organization to rebuild 20 Rural Health Centers in Pakistan, each of which will serve a population of between 50,000 to 100,000 people. Three of the twenty centers are expected to be complete by the beginning of October.
“AmeriCares is grateful for this honorable recognition by President General Pervez Musharraf. In the aftermath of this tragedy, I am extremely proud of AmeriCares continuing efforts in Pakistan, providing so many with the help they need to recover, reconstruct and return to life as normal,” says AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling. “AmeriCares is honored to have compassionate and heartfelt donors, volunteers and partners who continue to support our work and our mission, making relief efforts like this possible.”