The British Red Cross continues to work in Pakistan where hundreds of villages are still under water.

In Sindh province, thousands of people have left their destroyed villages and temporarily settled in schools.The Red Cross mass sanitation unit has been working in the schools since mid-July to promote sanitation and hygiene to reduce disease.

The team is working with volunteers and staff from the Pakistan Red Crescent to provide better sanitation in the school sites, promote hygiene and distribute soap parcels to families. Mother-of-eight Dhayani (50) was extremely happy to receive soap from the Red Cross and Red Crescent, saying: "I use the soap to wash my clothes, for bathing, to keep my children clean and to wash our hands before eating."

Disaster

Di Moody, health promotion specialist on the sanitation team, described the schools where up to 1,500 people have been living for about six weeks. She said: "They're living in the classrooms and water is available in the school."At least they've got shelter and were able to bring some of their possessions with them."

She described the sanitation team's concerns: "It's overcrowded and there are no sanitation facilities, as the latrines were blocked and broken very quickly. Unfortunately, the ladies and children are having to go to the toilet behind the buildings, which causes a problem for them.

"There are also great concerns for the children because we want to prevent diarrhoeal and water-born diseases. We're finding children and adults with skin and eye infections and diarrhoea because of the lack of access to sanitation facilities. Additionally, there's a lot of rubbish and quite a few animals-goats and water buffalo-in the schools, and it is important that this is managed to prevent any outbreak of disease."

Support

The team is providing practical support and hygiene information to the people affected. Di explained: "We are working with the people to ensure they are aware of the importance of handwashing, of washing children's faces, and of protecting food and drinking water from flies.We're also making sure people are aware of oral rehydration and that mothers know how to make an oral rehydration solution-a pre-made salt and sugar solution mixed with water-which replaces the salts and sugars lost through diarrhoea and reduces the effects of dehydration."

She continued: "We've been spraying with insecticide to reduce the fly infestation. We're also doing some work to support the environment in the schools by mobilising the community to remove rubbish from the living areas and protecting areas around the hand pumps, where water is collected for drinking and washing."

It is uncertain when people will be able to safely return to their villages because the floodwater is still high. Di noted: "People want to go home, but it's difficult to know when they will be able to go back. The men are actively monitoring the water levels in their villages, but it's still deep in many places and villages are still inaccessible."

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