Over the last few weeks, the news has continuously broadcast images of people wading through what were once their homes, families escaping with few belongings, small reminders of the lives they left behind. As the floods continue to ravage much of Pakistan, the images continue to be stark, the statistics grim. Over the weekend, the Pakistani government stated that 20 million have now been affected by the disaster, more than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined. Authorities recently confirmed a case of cholera, leading to concerns of an outbreak of the disease, “with thousands of those affected by the floods showing the symptoms of acute watery diarrhea,” reported the Guardian.

The rains have not stopped. The floods have not slowed. The ramifications of the disaster, from public health-related to livelihoods impacted, will be enormous. But despite the gravity of this situation, the Pakistan floods have increasingly become less news worthy (among American outlets at least), and the donor response has been relatively low.

Ahsan at the Five Rupees blog noted a dramatic difference in the Western news coverage of the recent earthquake in Haiti and the Pakistan floods:

“Here's the bottom line: in the two weeks immediately after the Haitian earthquake, there were 88 stories published in the NYT. Of those 88, twelve were on the front page, an average of almost one a day. Put differently, the Haitian earthquake got almost as many stories on the front page as the Pakistani floods did in the entire newspaper. So, to recap: Haitian earthquake stories in the NYT vs. Pakistani floods stories in the NYT: 88 vs. 15. Haitian earthquake front page stories vs. Pakistani floods front page stories: 12 vs. 1.”

According to CBS News , ten days after the Kashmir earthquake in 2005, “donors gave or pledged $292 million, according to the aid group Oxfam. The January 12 disaster in Haiti led to pledges nearing $1 billion within the first 10 days.” In comparison, the international community has given or pledged about $102 million since the flooding began in late July, a far cry from the United Nations appeal of $460 million for just immediate relief.  According to a BBC statistic last week, the aid pledge for Pakistan averages to about $6.82 a survivor, compared to $669.80 a survivor of the 2004 tsunami.

Such a difference is staggering, but it is not all together surprising. Most Americans reading the news about Pakistan in the last few years regularly ingest several underlying themes – first, Pakistanis hate Americans. Second, Pakistan has a militancy problem that is a threat to the United States and their interests. Third, the Pakistani government is corrupt and inept at governing their people. Therefore, stories related to the floods are framed within this context, often losing that essential humanitarian tone in the process. While some could point to “donor fatigue,” perhaps many are just fatigued with Pakistan.

The easiest option would be for us all to just bemoan this apathy and criticise the lack of donor response by the international community. But that won’t help the millions suffering, or the agencies providing emergency relief on the ground. The most productive response would be to raise awareness about the flood situation to non-Pakistanis, to garner donations that would go directly to credible organizations working with those affected by the flood in Pakistan.

There are many reputable organizations, both Pakistani and international, that are doing incredible work on the ground, providing clean water, shelter, and food to the many who are displaced from their homes and villages. Many notable bloggers have listed their own recommendations in the past few weeks. Last week, my company, ML Resources Social Vision, a venture philanthropy providing support to innovative initiatives with expected high social returns, and Pakistani Peace Builders , a new initiative of Pakistani-Americans and concerned global citizens, launched Relief4Pakistan, a grassroots donation campaign designed to centralise funds for the flood victims in Pakistan in order to maximise impact.

After much due diligence and consideration, we chose Mercy Corps, a global aid agency, as the direct recipient of these donations. This was due to several reasons. First, Mercy Corps has a strong presence on the ground, both before the flood disaster and currently. Second, the agency is transparent and has a strong reputation in the United States and abroad. This is important in garnering both a Pakistani and non-Pakistani response. Finally, Mercy Corps works effectively with local communities and NGOs in Pakistan, delivering clean water, staple foods, and clean-up tools to families in Swat Valley and Sindh, two of the most affected areas.

Relief4Pakistan is leveraging social media and grassroots giving to make an impact and raise awareness. R4P has set its first fundraising goal at $100,000, and have raised over $19,000 in the last four days. While donations are key in reaching this goal, we want Relief4Pakistan to become a movement, one that encourages transparency, garners momentum, and empowers citizen giving (you can join the Facebook page to receive progress updates). This effort among many others is vital in changing donor fatigue and aiding the millions impacted in our country.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.