Students raise awareness, funds for Pakistan flood victims

It has been nearly two months since massive floods hit Pakistan, which left more than 2,000 dead and around 20 million people homeless or injured — more than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined.

Now, some students said they hope to help the Pakistani people.

“They don’t have fresh water, they don’t have clothes, they don’t have food,” said junior Zain Ali, vice president of the Pakistan Student Association. “So we’re trying to raise as much money as we can to help them.”

The student association has already begun its fundraising campaign by selling pizza in Ballantine Hall. The group raised $326 from selling the slices, an amount that surprised junior Sarah Asrar, the student association’s secretary.

“I remember saying to Zain, People are good,” Asrar said. “People are good, Zain.”
Asrar said it is also important to simply educate people about the situation in Pakistan, which has not gotten as much media coverage as other recent disasters.

“Some people aren’t very aware of how many people are affected and what’s really going on,” she said.

Ali said the Pakistan Student Association plans to continue educating and fundraising throughout the semester with bake sales and ice cream socials.

Co-president and junior Ahmed Jaffery said the Muslim Student Union also has a plan to help raise funds for Pakistan.

He said the Muslim Student Union is teaming up with IU Student Association and the fraternity Sigma Beta Rho to buy rubber wrist bands to sell around campus.

“IU Helps Pakistan” will be printed on the wrist bands, which will be sold for $1. All proceeds will be donated to help the victims of the wide-ranging flood, Jaffery said.

“The flooding stretches from the north all the way to the south of the country,” Jaffery said. “One-fifth of the country is under water. There’s so much spread of disease. It’s a
terrible situation.”

Senior Taufik Chhotani, Muslim Student Union vice president, said a dollar might not seem like very much, but to a starving family in Pakistan, it could mean curbing their hunger for a day.

“If you buy a band for a dollar,” Chhotani said. “You can legitimately provide a meal to a family of four.”