In light of the destructive flooding that has occurred in Pakistan since late July, Anushka Aqil '12 has spearheaded an on-campus fundraising relief effort on campus to help revitalize the Pakistani economy, whic has been devastated by the natural disaster. While Aqil started the relief effort, many on-campus groups and organizations, such as the South Asian Students Association, Project Nur, Positive Foundations, WBRS, the Greek Awareness Council, Waltham Group and the Student Union, are collaborating in this effort.

Aqil said in an interview with the Justice that the main goal of the fundraising effort is to make people aware of the situation in Pakistan. "Unfortunately, this problem is something that not a lot of people know about; there's not a lot of news coverage," she said. Since the flooding started on July 26, there have been 21 million displaced Pakistani citizens, and the official death count is 2,000. Aqil said that a major problem is that "the Pakistani economy is not self-sufficient enough to come back out of this crisis very easily." Through the fundraising, she explained, those involved are hoping to raise somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000.

The students organizing the relief effort are working with the House of Charity, the International Development and Relief Foundation and Islamic Relief USA. All three of these organizations respond to different types of natural disasters and also helped with Haiti. "We wanted programs with a lot of credibility because people often have hesitations when donating to Pakistan. These . are well-established organizations with credibility," Aqil said

The first fundraising event is a benefit dinner that will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 28 in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. A donation will be required at the door; the recommended amount is $15. There will be music, speakers and regional Pakistani food, Aqil said. She also said that on Friday, Oct. 1, WBRS will be hosting a benefit concert similar to the one it put on for Haiti last year, and the Greek Awareness Council will sponsor a Pakistan Week in late October.

Also, there will soon be tables in the Campus Center selling accessories such as scarves and jewelry from Pakistan and green-and-white wristbands so students can show their support. The accessories were donated by students who are from areas in and around Pakistan, and the tables will be run by students from the various clubs involved with the fundraising.

Student Union Vice President Shirel Guez '12 commented on the various clubs coming together for this cause. In an interview with the Justice, she said that, at first, "[the effort] didn't have a huge presence on campus yet, and I saw it as an unbelievable opportunity to really embody the Brandeis social justice message. . Last year I was really involved in the Haiti relief, and I was just so inspired by the way people came together."

Senator at Large, Co-Head of the Social Justice Committee and active member of the Pakistani effort Aziz Sohail '13 said that those running the relief effort are trying to schedule events so they do not overlap but also so there will not be long breaks between events. He said that in order to keep track of all the events, there will be posters up around campus with the dates and locations of everything that is happening. "We just hope the trajectory takes off and that the events are successful. . We really hope to get the word out," he said. "This is for awareness more than anything.