Qayum Nawaz, 55, lives with his wife and nine children in the village of Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan’s Khyber Province. He worked as a labourer to support his family until disaster struck in the summer of 2022. Floods swept through the country, destroying most of the homes in his village.

Qayum and his family were forced to flee, surviving for weeks without any shelter. After the flood waters finally receded, they returned to their village, but their house had been destroyed. The family slept in a temporary tent amidst the ruins of their destroyed home. With no job, he spent his days rebuilding their house, but was unable to feed his family or meet their needs.

In response to this crisis, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives mobilised their ‘1 Billion Meals’ project, in cooperation with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), to distribute food to Qayum’s family, other residents in his village and flood-affected people across Pakistan. “It may take me two or three years to rebuild my house, but I am very grateful to receive food aid in these difficult times and I hope we continue to receive the food that we are currently receiving,” Qayum said.