Pakistani death toll rises to 73,000

I had held off on posting a specific plea for people to donate to aid organizations for the Pakistani quake, but the news just gets worse and worse. The death toll has risen to 73,000.  When we’re shocked by hundreds of people dying in a hurricane, I am confident in saying that it’s almost impossible to imagine what it would mean to lose 73,000.

Frankly, US and world aid hasn’t been all that forthcoming.  Whether it’s the fact that people are disaster-weary, or that we don’t identify with Pakistan, the result is that they don’t have enough resources to deal with the relief.

So I’m asking you to get out your checkbooks and give a little.  Instead of giving to the Red Cross, I ask you to give to an organization my father has a long history in volunteering, leading, and supporting, the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America.  They have long sponsored medical centers throughout the more rural areas of Pakistan.  Furthermore as native speakers of the language, natives to the culture, and volunteer doctors, they are more capable of getting the money you give into the hands of those that need it with less overhead and administrative fees.

Please take a moment and give a few dollars.