As Karachi recovers from a bout of violence, the initial response in the city to the fund-raising drive for flood victims has been disappointing. Non-commissioned personnel of the Sindh Rangers did not receive even a single food item at their relief camp on the first day and went to their barracks empty-handed. Set up by erecting a tent and placing a pair of wooden tables just in front of Empress Market, the aim was to collect donations for the flood affectees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

The same response is evident in many places. What are the reasons for the slow start to fund-raising drives in Karachi? And is their hope that things will pick up in the days ahead?

"In these circumstances, when people can't come out of their homes to get food for their own families, who would come here to donate anything for the flood affectees?" replied a Rangers personal when asked if they had dispatched all relief goods collected from people to the flood-ravaged areas.

The same situation existed at several other relief camps established by various welfare organisations in different parts of the city to collect donations in the form of food items, medicines and cash to dispatch to over four million people who were compelled to leave their homes after floods entered their cities, towns and villages in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Punjab.

"Karachiites are mentally exhausted these days, probably due to the ongoing violence and law and order situation in their neighbourhoods, not to mention the prevailing economic conditions. They wish to help their brethren in distress in the flood-ravaged areas but their own worries are also a cause of concern for them," says Fawad Sherwani, an official of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, who has vast experience of carrying out relief activities and managing relief operations in different areas of Pakistan.

Recalling the enthusiasm of the people of Karachi after the devastating earthquake in 2005, when thousands of people had perished in Kashmir and NWFP while survivors were looking for outside aid to live on and restart their normal lives, Sherwani says as compared to people's enthusiasm in 2005, people are less willing to donate for their brethren now.

"I remember the days when I was dispatching relief goods after the October 2005 earthquake. There were piles of relief goods around me and the more I was dispatching, the more goods were arriving. At one time, my former organisation was paying Rs. 2.5 million daily, solely for transporting relief goods to Kashmir and the NWFP. As compared to those days, now people's response is lukewarm" Sherwani claims.

"Mass causalities in some natural disaster compel well-off segments of society to help those in misery but when people themselves are in distress, how can they help others? People are dying of floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab but they are also being killed in Karachi in ethnic violence. So everybody is in the grip of some kind of disaster, whether natural or man-made" he observed.

According to him, there are people in the city who approached him by telephone and asked him to collect cheques worth millions of rupees from their homes as they were afraid of getting out of their residences due to the prevailing law and order situation in the city.

"I believe cities like Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Islamabad and Peshawar have immense potential to assist those affected by floods in the country. But unfortunately, these cities are also in the grip of violence and people here are under tremendous mental stress to help out those who need their help and assistance due to devastation by the floods" he maintained.

"But the holy month of Ramazan is fast approaching, when Allah Almighty softens the hearts of Muslims, and they overwhelmingly donate for those who deserve aid. People offer zakat, sadqa and even cut their own expenses to help others. I'm hopeful that people's response for the flood victims will be a lot better then," he said.

Chief of Al-Khidmat Welfare Society Karachi Tanveerullah also had similar feelings. He complained that owing to the poor law and order situation in the city during the previous week, even relief collection camps could not be set up in different parts of the city to collect relief goods.

"People's response is slow as compared to what they did during the 2005 earthquake. But perhaps it is due to the violence in the city when Karachi remained closed for three days. Then there are economic problems also. Frequency of natural disasters has also increased. But still I believe that we can motivate people to come out for the assistance of flood affectees," Tanveerullah Khan said.

According to him, his organisation had so far dispatched 200 tents, provided food packs to over 6,700 people, installed a filter plant in Nowshera for 50,000 people while over 330 vehicles of the society were evacuating people from the vulnerable areas to safer locations.

"We are also providing cooked meals to thousands of people in seven of the worst affected districts of Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, and all that requires money. These activities are being carried out with donations from people from all over Pakistan, including Karachi, but it could have been better if people donated as generously in the past," he opined.

Tanveerullah Khan was also of the opinion that Karachiites were in the grip of some kind of 'disaster fatigue' as nothing was going well anywhere in the country. "When they turn their TVs on, they watch devastation due to floods, suicide bombings, war, target killings and in their own homes, they are facing a tense situation as they can't get out and go to their workplaces".

Several people also interviewed for this report also made similar observations saying when people of an area are themselves facing a disaster-like situation, how could they gather the courage to help others.

An industrialist, who requested not to be named, said he had always sent relief goods to people in case of natural disasters, whether they occurred in the former NWFP, Kashmir, FATA or Balochistan. But these days, the poor law and order situation was badly affecting industrial production, and he was finding it hard to donate like in the past. "I want to help people in misery this time too but all I could do was to donate Zakat that is a fortieth part of my savings for a year. That too would be a handsome amount but would be much less than what I donated during the earthquake."

But Fawad Sherwani, of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, is still optimistic. He believes that if the local media and government play their roles positively, the people of Pakistan had enough potential to cater to the needs of all the flood affected without seeking any foreign aid. "A section of the media is portraying a picture where nothing is being done by any welfare organisation for the flood affectees. My family is also in Nowshera and were evacuated by volunteers of a welfare organisation, and moved to a safe location. They are now getting relief goods regularly. A lot of people are in the field and all they need is motivation instead of criticism," he observes.

Sherwani also called on the government to improve the law and order situation in major cities of Pakistan like Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar. "If the government can't do anything against natural disasters, it should perform its responsibility of restoring peace and let people help out their brothers and sisters in misery," he added.

Back-breaking inflation, target killings and the worsening law and order situation in the metropolis may have slowed down full-fledged fund-raising activities in Karachi, but all these problems have still not deterred the committed from donating generously for the relief of flood victims.

As rising floodwaters create havoc and destruction across the country, the people of Karachi, widely known for their generous behavior, have initiated fund-raising drives and collection of relief goods for their flood-stricken brethren.

Along with members of civil society and charity workers, a growing number of students have joined the bandwagon of the fund-raisers. Amar Abbasi, a law student from Manchester University, UK, who is currently vacationing in the city, has set up a relief camp at the Royal Rodale in DHA in collaboration with Rotaract Club, Karachi. "Along with other members of Pehla Qadam, a youth-based organisation, I came up with the idea of establishing the camp to help the people affected by the flood. The response we have received is quite overwhelming in times when the city itself is gripped with violence." Till Thursday evening, they had succeeded in collecting around Rs 66,000 cash as well as aid in the form of clothes, medicines and food items.

Jibran Nasir, another volunteer involved in the same drive told Kolachi that with the help of the National Disaster Authority, they have made a list of relief items which can be donated to the camp. The list includes rice, wheat, lentils, mineral water, milk carton, juice cartons, biscuits, band aids, Dettol, pain killers, thermometers, cotton rolls, sleeping bags, foldable mattresses, blankets, sweaters, mattresses, shawls, coats, sanitary napkins for women and Pampers for infants. "The camp is being run till Monday and we hope to collect a huge amount of donations and relief goods. After the collection, we, along with the Rotaract Club, will dispatch the consignment to the affected areas," he said.

Meanwhile, other youth organisations have also started campaigns for the flood victims. Anila Zahid, an official of the Pakistani Youth organisation told Kolachi that they are setting up stalls outside the major shopping malls in order to generate funds. "The reason we have selected these points is that they are popular places for leisure"

However, Zahid admits that this time, people are not donating open-heartedly. "Last year, we were successful in collecting donations worth two lac rupees for the IDPs of the Swat operation. However, for the flood-affected people, we have been able to collect only Rs 50,000 so far."

She added that when people question her about the credibility of the organisation, she informs them of the previous work which it has done. "We had taken teams of doctors to northern Pakistan during the military operation to provide assistance to the people displaced. This time too, our volunteers are willing to go to the devastated areas and deliver aid to the people ourselves."

Pakistani Youth are accepting blankets, clothes, medicines and dry and staple food items. "Private companies are also helping us out. A mineral water company has donated 10,000 1.5 liter bottles. Others companies have also agreed to help us." She added that through their student network in the city's major private and public-sector universities, students are also actively fund-raising.

Meanwhile, students of various universities have also set up camps within their institute's premises. Gul Zaib, a council member hailing from the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), told Kolachi that a collection camp has been set up for monetary collection as well as other commodities. "Two societies of the university, Rotaract SZABIST and SZAB Sports Society, have established it. Initially, the response was not good due to the violence in the city. Students were not showing up at the university. But now the campaign has gained momentum." She said that after collection, they would dispatch the goods through Army trucks.

In the University of Karachi, members of KUMAK, another student organization, has also started fund-raising amongst their peers and classmates. Hina Mujeeb, a representative said, "We have carried out fund-raising thrice for the needy before. Last year, we collected around Rs 50,000 for the IDPs. Let's see how much we are able to collect this time." She said that with the money collected, they would buy the required items and goods and dispatch them to the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, Tanvirullah Khan, an official of the Al-Khidmat Welfare Society told Kolachi that they will set up around 25 donation camps in the city. "A camp has already been set up near the Islamia College for the victims of the country's deadliest floods."

Their first priority is to provide food items and water to the shelterless and displaced people. He said that 14 districts have been completely wiped out by the flood waters and there is a dire need for ration and relief goods. He said that medicines are also being accepted, including anti-bacterial drugs and those for gastroentitis, and added that a consignment has been dispatched for the flood victims.

As violence in Karachi subsided, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), whose office- bearers opened a relief camp on its Karachi premises, are continuously receiving cheques from different organisations and random people. Speaking to Kolachi, former general secretary of PMA Dr Samrina Hashmi said that "many people are sending us money through their accounts which is easy for everyone involved as that way they do not have to come to our office."

PMA has involved not just their contacts but has also human rights organisations to contribute in whichever way they can. Explaining the process she said that, "They gather all the food and medicines in their homes or offices and then send it to us. The goods are then delivered to our friends in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). They dispatch the goods to Nowshera."

She admits that the spirit of the earthquake of 2005, when Karachiites donated an overwhelming amount in cash and kind, is still missing this time. "But the point is to remember the smallest of efforts made by people in these times, because if there is a hard time, it is faced by everyone, not just me and you. And if we are getting blankets and goods it speaks volumes about the resilience of the people."

A small organisation named Volunteers - Voice of the Civil Society, run by Erum Farooq in DHA, is another platform where people are gathering goods to be sent to northern Pakistan. Working for the past five years and contributing her share to help the flood victims, Erum, a married woman with kids, thought of taking help from her friends and acquaintances. "It all started with word of mouth which was a bit difficult at first but I got through. Five years later, I now network with my friends and many more people through the social networking site Facebook, which has made things quite easy for everyone involved," said Erum.

While sharing her experiences of the past five years she said that Pakistan has gone through major catastrophes but what makes it work are the people, "They just don't give up no matter what the circumstances." She said that during the displacement in Swat and, before that, the earthquakes in northern Pakistan, the initial response of people was a bit slow. She said that people might be slow at first but they tend to give their full-fledged support eventually. They are as steady and united as any other nation. "What we tend to forget is that a lot of trust goes into the gathering and delivering of things. I, on my part, gather the goods collected by friends, families and volunteers and then hand it over to my acquaintances in the Army, who then deliver it to the needy."

Getting a bit reflective, Erum, who works from her home opposite Carlton Hotel, said that if given a chance our people can do a lot. "That trust has been shattered a lot of times and yet you see hordes of people standing outside your door in the wee hours of the morning to deliver food and medicines and asking if anything else needs to be done. That leaves you baffled and pleasantly surprised."

The same point is reiterated by Anwer Kazmi, a spokesperson at Edhi, who said that they are getting donations including cash and stacks of dry milk and water bottles outside their offices on a daily basis. "It would be cruel on my part to say that relief work is not going the way it should. It is going a bit slow but picks up before and during Ramazan. I believe the people of Pakistan are not as heartless as they are made out to be."