Because of the ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan, Pakistan has hosted 2-3 million refugees over the past 20 years. The latest conflict resulted in a fresh influx of 200,000 refugees.
Agriculture accounts for about a fifth of the economy and employs more than half the workforce.
ActionAid in Pakistan
ActionAid has been operating in Pakistan since 1992 and now works with 60,000 of the country's poorest people, particularly small, landless farmers, women and urban poor people.
We work mainly on food rights, education and gender issues, as well as labour rights, youth programmes and peace building.
We work with a wide range of community and national organisations and lobby the government and other decision makers to influence policies and practices that affect poor people.
We helped to provide the refugees from Afghanistan with food, clothing, water and medicine and are training counsellors to tackle the longer-term effects of insecurity and resentment felt by the refugees and border communities.
Azizan and her four children struggled to survive on the water available in their village in Kalinger. Water was so scarce it was rationed from standpipes for just 10 minutes on alternate days. Azizan had to substitute this with well water, which was heavy to carry and carried the risk of disease.
ActionAid's water and sanitation scheme brought piped water from a nearby spring to a tank in the village, and trained villagers to maintain it.
"Sometimes we had to get up before sunrise to fetch our quota from the standpipes." says Azizan. "Since the completion of the scheme, we have managed to get ample water."
Essential Stats
| Pakistan | Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 162.98 miilion (2009) | 21.5 million (2009) |
| Area | 796,095 km2 | 7,703,581 km2 |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $208.83 billion (2009) | $970.6 billion (2009) |
| GDP per capita | $1,280 (2009) | $44,598 (2009) |
| Human Development Index | 0.551 (2006) | 0.965 (2006) |
| Life expectancy (male/female) | 65/66 (2005-2010) | 79/84 (2005-2010) |
| Adult literacy (%) | 49.9 (1995-2005) | 99 (1995-2005) |
Sources: IMF, UN data, Human Development Index, UN statistics
