Blog Posts by Patrick Duplat

Aid workers can often seem jaded when confronted with the world’s misery. Many resort to cynicism, perhaps in the hope of distancing themselves emotionally from the victims of the tragedy unfolding before them. In Haiti – where an earthquake in early January devastated Port-au-Prince and left more than a million people homeless – I sensed a greater sense of empathy amongst the aid community.

The recent displacement wave in Pakistan forced up to 2 million people out of their homes in less than 6 weeks. Most of the displaced stayed out of camps but with host families. Relatives, friends and even perfect strangers who lived in the lower lands of Mardan and beyond, opened their doors to help out their fellow Pakistanis from the mountainous valleys of Swat and Buner. It is a testament to the hospitable nature of the Pashtuns, without which this humanitarian crisis could have had far greater consequences.