When the Mountains Move: Courage, Preparation, and the Communities FOCUS Stands With in Pakistan
Pakistan’s northern highlands are among the most disaster-prone places on earth. In Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, earthquakes can split valley floors without warning, and monsoon rains can trigger landslides overnight. The region is also vulnerable to glacial lake outburst floods, known as GLOFs. These happen when a massive glacier sitting atop a mountain melts rapidly, sending […]
Flash Floods in Afghanistan: A Unified AKDN Response
“We are often at risk of floods, but whenever we see the AKAH team, a new sense of hope is restored in us.” A female resident of Pul-e-Khumri in Baghlan Province. In early April 2026, heavy rainfall swept through northern and northeastern Afghanistan, sending flash floods tearing through communities in Baghlan, Badakhshan, Takhar, and surrounding […]
Flood response in Northern Pakistan
In recent weeks, flash flooding and glacial lake outbursts have caused widespread destruction across Pakistan, especially in Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral and other vulnerable mountain communities. Due to monsoon rains triggering flash floods and landslides, villages have been severely affected, homes damaged, farmland submerged, and livelihoods disrupted. Emergency operation centres set up by the Aga Khan Agency for […]
FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance and its partners mobilize in response to Türkiye and Syria earthquakes
In the early hours of Monday February 6, severe earthquakes struck parts of Türkiye and Syria, resulting in the tragic loss of thousands of lives and massive infrastructure damage. Following the earthquakes, FOCUS, in collaboration with agencies of the AKDN, of which FOCUS is an affiliate, has mobilized rapidly to offer support. Our partner in […]
Responding to Devastating Flooding in Pakistan
Extreme temperatures in early July 2022 led to glacial melting, high river and stream levels, and flash flooding throughout Pakistan, intensified by heavy monsoon rains. FOCUS’ partner, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) was quick to establish emergency operations centers in Gilgit (Gilgit-Baltistan), Karachi (Sindh), Chitral (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and Islamabad to coordinate aid and […]