Nearly 500,000 people have fled the Swat Valley in the past ten days, according to UN agencies, bringing the total number who have fled the conflict in north-west Pakistan to well over 1 million since August 2008.

Save the Children is working in partnership with the government of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and local authorities, as part of a coordinated response, to deliver vital aid to affected families.

“Many families on the run have fled their homes with few possessions,” Gareth Owen, Save the Children UK’s Director of Emergencies, said. “They don’t have any food, bedding or kitchen utensils — not even containers to store water. Because there is little fuel available in the affected areas, most families must walk up to two days to reach safety, carrying babies and small children.”

“Among the many displaced people are children who have been separated from their parents and family members, children with torn and bleeding feet who have had to walk up to 30 miles to escape the fighting, and children who have witnessed the horrors of war, including seeing their relatives or neighbours killed in front of them,” Owen continued.

Save the Children staff in the area report that babies and young children are at the greatest risk of serious illness, and acute diarrhoea from unsanitary conditions in overcrowded houses and camps is a major concern. 

Save the Children is focusing its efforts on helping children who have been separated from their relatives, women-headed households, families with children under five, and families that include an injured or chronically-ill family member. 

Mr Owen added: “We will be working to ensure that children and families affected by the crisis receive emergency assistance, including health services and hygiene and household supplies. The agency will also work to provide protection and education programmes for children in camps or temporary shelters.”

Save the Children needs your support to help meet the most critical needs of children and families who are fleeing the violence. Please donate now or call freephone 0800 8 148148.

What your money will buy:

• 50p will buy a story book for children
• £3 will pay for a course of antibiotics for a child under five
• £8 will pay for a mosquito net for a mother and child
• £10 will pay for a woman to have her baby delivered at a public health clinic
• £500 will pay for a livelihood cash grant for a family.