An Edgbaston Stadium employee who spent five weeks in Pakistan helping flood disaster victims has spoken of the devastation he witnessed and how he hopes to have played a small part on their road to recovery.
Abraham Khan – Edgbaston’s Head of Finance – visited some of the villages worst hit by last year's catastrophic flooding which cost 1,700 lives and left more than two million people homeless.
He raised thousands of pounds for the relief effort through a combination of an online appeal and his own savings which he used to buy food, clothing and life-saving equipment.
The 39-year-old, who's worked at Edgbaston for nine years, helped establish water purification systems so communities could access clean water and spent time working in schools for homeless children.
“The welcome we received was truly humbling,” said Abraham. “Through the tragedy we still came across many smiling faces. People seemed to take comfort simply knowing we cared, that we’d travelled over to do whatever we could to help.
“I couldn’t just look on from home and see the news unfolding. So I started to save money and raise funds. Then in February, I flew out with a friend. We went out there independently, not as part of a humanitarian mission or charity.
“We flew to Karachi and then on to the wider area called Sindh which was one of the worst affected by the floods. There were places that had been completely under water for three months; the residue of water on the few remaining buildings was at around nine feet.
“We spoke to local people and officials to find how we could best help.
“One of the most important things we did was setting up a water purification system as drinking contaminated water was causing lots of ill health.
“I bought livestock for families so they could make a start getting back on their feet, plus clothing and food parcels as many people were still living in emergency accommodation.
“One man in his 80’s was living in a donated tent near where his home had been. There were only a few bricks left. We just did whatever we could.
“We also visited a makeshift school for children who’d been made homeless by the floods and who’d lost family. We bought bags, uniforms, school equipment and clothing. Without the school these children would be on the street.
“I helped teach some English lessons and played cricket with the children. Providing emotional support, showing we cared, felt as important as buying supplies.”
Abraham also spent a week in Turkey on route to Pakistan to help with the earthquake relief effort. He worked at a stadium acting as a base to collect, package and distribute emergency supplies – and also worked with big manufacturers to organise the supply of clothing.
He’s now returned to Birmingham to be reunited with his family in Moseley.
Here’s Abraham Khan's exclusive Q&A with Asian Voice.
What are the challenges of raising funds for a natural calamity?
My focus was not on raising funds from my contacts and more on my own and my family’s savings. We began saving in August 2022 and this element made up over 90% of the total funds which were donated to the various projects. Once my friends and work colleagues learnt about my intentions to go out to Pakistan they wanted to contribute and so I set up a go fund page. I saw the project as a personal objective and so did not actively try to raise external funds. I am very grateful to those who did contribute, it just meant the impact was that much bigger.
How did you navigate the floods while helping those who were affected by them?
There were a number of charities with local knowledge of the areas most affected who we got in contact with once we reached Karachi. We also had an existing lead with Islamic Relief UK. We went out on fieldwork visits daily with the different organisations, participating where we could in the fantastic work they were doing and we also contributed financially. The charities we worked with include Islamic Relief, Shahid Afridi Foundation, JDC Foundation and Baitussallam Foundation.
In your observation, what can be done in Pakistan or any other country, vulnerable to natural calamities to be prepared for crisis management, and also prepare to avert a crisis in the first place?
It was very evident those who were already in poverty had suffered the most due to the floods in Pakistan with weak houses being completely wiped out. There is a bigger challenge in Pakistan which is to tackle poverty by building houses which can withstand such disasters. The sewage infrastructure needs a complete overhaul in certain parts of Pakistan. Certain villages are situated too close to dangerous areas. Certain villages are completely forgotten where citizens are not registered. A lot of work is needed to prevent mass destruction from such events and then to reach those in remote areas if an unfortunate natural disaster does occur. We visited villages that did not have anyone reach them for 3 months after the floods and those who did visit were charities.
Please tell us about your relief efforts in Pakistan. For how long will they be able to sustain those affected?
We contributed financially to many projects apart from helping practically on field days with local charities this involved distributing food, cleaning, construction work, teaching school children and mental health sessions.
The project we financially contributed to include: Water purification, Livestock distribution projects, orphan rehousing projects, orphan and street children schooling equipment, widows back to a work project, clothing, and food banks. These projects vary in sustainability from a day to many years to hopefully lifetimes.
Do you think developing countries in South Asia need external assistance or better disaster management plans?
I think both. I don’t want to get political but it’s evident Pakistan has its governance challenges and much more could have been done around disaster management. My philosophy was to do what I could personally and not get too wrapped up with who should be doing more. Global warming aside each country should be concerned with natural disasters in other countries and provide what assistance they can. This does not necessarily need to be financial and could be expertise to prevent or manage disaster relief efforts.
What is the emotional impact of such calamities on people? Do you think there’s any solace for them?
This is a huge concern for people who lost family and possessions. The toll was evident when speaking to the affected individuals. We could see the pain they had suffered and how it was still affecting them mentally after 9 months. Also, the fear of repeat floods was a major worry for those we spoke to. We participated in mental health sessions with villagers where simple breathing exercises were being taught. The villagers were very thankful to the charities and valued everything that was being done. Not being forgotten is their solace, charities and people like us visiting makes a huge difference in their morale.
