Google to donate $500,000 for flood relief efforts in Pakistan

Google pledges Rs110 million to Centre for Disaster Philanthropy

Google will be donating $11 million to the Centre for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP),

 which was announced by Google Southeast Asia Vice President Stephanie Davis on

 LinkedIn. She also shared that the money will be donated by Google to support

 disaster relief and recovery efforts in pakistan and other countries in South-East

 Asia. As of right now, the amount equals around Rs110 million in Pakistan

 currency, though it could change depending on fluctuations in exchange rates. The

 funds will be used to help the victims of severe floods and landslides in sindh and

 balochistan, which occurred last month, and for future disasters in the region as

 well.

According to official data, the number of affected districts now stands at 110, including 34 in Balochistan, 33 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 16 in Sindh and the rest in Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

The floods have killed at least 1,191 people, including 399 children, with 21 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

On Tuesday, the United Nations and the Pakistani government issued a flash appeal for $160m to help the country cope with the catastrophic floods.

Who are CDFP?

The Centre for Disaster Philanthropy (CDFP) is a leading global philanthropic

 organization that helps communities and families in the aftermath of natural

 disasters. They ensure support arrives when it's needed most, and serve as a critical

 resource that those affected can rely on. Established in 2003, CDFP has grown

 from serving 20,000 people after Hurricane Katrina to more than one million

 following the Haiti earthquake of 2010.

How will they use it?

The partnership with the Centre for Disaster Philanthropy was announced on the

 25th anniversary of one of pakistan's worst ever natural disasters. Torrential rains

caused an eight-foot high storm surge that submerged much of coastal pakistan in

water, killing at least 1000 people and displacing over a hundred thousand. 

The charity is working on projects such as restoring soil fertility and protecting rice

 crops from drought, as well as working with governments and local partners to

 deliver relief aid more effectively in times of disaster.

What does it mean?

Google is pledging Rs110 million worth of funding and resources to the nonprofit

 organization that seeks to improve global disaster response, the Center for Disaster

 Philanthropy. The tech giant's donation is equal to around $1.5 million USD and is

 being made in response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas. 

The Google team's contributions have gone as far as sending over Google engineers,

 who will be working on recovery efforts and developing tools and systems designed

at assisting families with their return home needs.

Follow up actions

The Singapore-based CDP has two missions: empowering disaster survivors and

 helping the most vulnerable places in the world become safer. Google's support will

 allow them to do even more of this. This is not the first time Google has helped

 CDP either. A year ago, they donated $3 million to help communities hit by

 Hurricane Harvey recover and it sounds like they'll be doing much more in years to come.