Recognition and Awards

Source:

The president of Pakistan gave ADRA the prestigious Sitara-i-Eisaar (Star of Sacrifice) award on September 21 for work in providing emergency relief in response to the South Asia Earthquake of 2005.

On Thursday, September 21, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency received the prestigious Sitara-i-Eisaar (Star of Sacrifice) award from the president of Pakistan for its work in providing emergency relief in response to the South Asia Earthquake of 2005.

Pakistan created the Sitara-i-Eisaar to recognize humanitarian aid organizations, community groups, and individuals that provided emergency relief and rehabilitation work in the wake of last October's disaster.

President General Pervez Musharraf presented the Sitara-i-Eisaar (Star of Sacrifice) to ADRA during a ceremony held at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, DC. Charles Sandefur, President of the US based ADRA International office, accepted the award on behalf of 21 worldwide ADRA partners and thousands of private donors. Other organizations receiving the award included World Vision International, Catholic Relief Services, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The ADRA Trans-Europe Regional office, responsible for coordinating the disaster response, would like to thank the 21 partners who enabled the Kashmir response programme to be a success.

On the morning of October 8, 2005, a severe earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck Southern Asia, destroying much of the northern town of Muzzaffarabad and damaging thousands of villages in the region. The temblor was the biggest natural disaster in the history of Pakistan, affecting more than four million people.

ADRA responded immediately, providing aid for households affected by the deadly disaster. As the one-year anniversary of the South Asia Earthquake nears, ADRA Pakistan continues to aid survivors through three large programmes funded respectively by the ADRA Network Offices, ADRA Czech and ADRA Netherlands. These projects focus on re-building schools to assist families in their ongoing recovery.

Date published: December 11, 2006