Charity walk to raise funds for victims of Pakistan floods

Councillor Daalat Ali and Kuiama Thompson (Director of Public Health) walking the Rochdale Way

A local campaign has been launched to raise funds for people affected by the devastating floods in Pakistan.

The floods, which began in June this year, have left one third of Pakistan underwater and millions of people in desperate need for help. Over 1,600 people have been killed and more than 12,000 injured while millions have been made homeless.

Rochdale Council's staff charity Giving Back, is raising funds to help the people in Pakistan that have been affected by the devastating floods. Huge areas of agricultural land have been affected, with crops swept away and 1 million livestock killed, which will mean many people will go hungry in the longer term. There's also a high risk of water-borne diseases spreading in affected areas.

For the next five  weeks, between 18 October and 25 November, residents can join together and raise funds by logging the distances they walk to reach a target of 3,852 miles - the distance from Rochdale to Pakistan.

The funds raised will go to the council’s Giving Back staff charity before being passed on to the Kashmir Development Foundation (KDF) and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) who are both working to help those affected by the floods.

Councillor Daalat Ali, deputy leader of Rochdale Borough Council and cabinet member for health, said: “I am so saddened by the devastation that the floods have caused in Pakistan. With extreme cold weather fast approaching this winter in Pakistan, particularly in the northern areas, there is an urgent need for help. People are without clean water, food, shelter and the risk of disease is high, these floods have left millions of people at risk of a public health disaster.

“We are counting on the cooperative nature of the people of Rochdale to come together to walk the distance between Rochdale and Pakistan, to help raise much needed funds for the millions of people affected. Please ask your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you for all the miles you walk or alternatively you can make a personal donation. By coming together and raising funds through walking from Rochdale to Pakistan, we can make a real difference.”

There are lots of walks that you could do. Some council staff will be walking the Rochdale Way, but you could get out into your parks, walk to school, walk to work, anything to get your miles in.

For more information on how to donate and ways to get involved, visit: Rochdale Walk to Pakistan – Rochdale Borough Council