Malteser International is preparing to launch a relief project next August in health sector in Swat District in north-west Pakistan. After the violent clashes a year ago between the Taliban and government troops, forcing three million people to leave their homes, the humanitarian crisis is still far from over. The Order of Malta’s international relief service’s operators report that the majority in Swat District have returned to their homes, but they are in need of everything: healthcare, food, sanitation, water infrastructures and recovery of their livelihoods. The problem is that funds are lacking to intervene according to the demands.

“We’re in urgent need of further funding for essential projects in the health sector” claims Jürgen Clemens, Malteser International’s Senior Desk Officer in Pakistan. “We’re grateful to the German government for its ongoing support of our relief actions,” he continues, “but we hope that other governments and donors can follow their example. The 2010 Humanitarian Relief Plan for Pakistan and the United Nations’ and NGOs’ joint appeals are greatly underfinanced”.