UNICEF Communication Officer Zeeshan Suhail recently toured the flood-devastated Sindh province of Pakistan. He and UNICEF photographer Asad Zaidi came to talk to families, in particular children, who were displaced by flooding due to this year’s monsoon rains, which have affected over 5 million people. Here is his account highlighting the severity of the situation on the ground as well as UNICEF and partners’ work to support people through this crisis and beyond.

Suruchi Ahuja is a UNICEF Next Generation Steering Committee member.

UNICEF’s Next Generation is excited to support the Community and Lady Health Workers program. Every year, almost 460,000 Pakistani children under the age of 5 die from preventable causes and nearly one in ten will not see their fifth birthday. Pneumonia and diarrhea are the main killers of young children and their low status in society can leave them at risk to daily violence at home and in school, and at risk of organized trafficking and sexual exploitation. Girls are particularly vulnerable as conservative attitudes often prevent them attending or finishing school.

UNICEF emergency operations are monitoring reports of a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in southwestern Pakistan. The tremor, which occurred more than 600 miles southwest of Islamabad, was reported to have been felt as far away as Dubai. No casualties have been reported.

It was a hard year, 2010. But UNICEF responded, and UNICEF defined what “responding” means

More than 100 days into the floods that have impacted millions of children in Pakistan, UNICEF is still actively raising funds for lifesaving interventions and reconstruction needs for the families.

Today is International Literacy Day, and while we certainly want to celebrate the fact that there are 4 billion literate people in the world today, we must also concede that for far too many, the opportunity to learn to read and write is still a luxury