Oxfam has launched a £5.3 million appeal to provide emergency support to up to 360,000 people who have escaped the recent fighting in Pakistan.
The situation
![An internally displaced family flee military operations on a truck in Dargahi. [Photo credit: REUTERS/Stringer, courtesy of alertnet.org]](http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/emergencies/images/pakistan_flee.jpg "An internally displaced family flee military operations on a truck in Dargahi. [Photo credit: REUTERS/Stringer, courtesy of alertnet.org]")
Conflict in northern Pakistan has caused the biggest internal displacement in the country's history. According to the UN some 907,000 people have registered as displaced since
the beginning of the month, with thousands more estimated to be on their way.
In pictures: Pakistan's displaced people
As the fighting between government forces and armed groups continues, the number of people needing emergency assistance is expected to rise to an estimated 1.5 million people.
Blog entry: Life in the camps in Pakistan
Thousands of people have been uprooted and fled the fighting, having to walk for hours in intense heat, often leaving with little or no possessions. They are in a state of shock, exhausted and bewildered. Food is in short supply. The risk to people's health will increase with the overcrowding and lack of washing facilities, especially for women. 
Neva Khan, Oxfam Country Director in Pakistan
Oxfam is there
Working closely with local partner organisations, Oxfam has launched an emergency response to provide relief to around 360,000 women, men and children in urgent need of assistance.
We have started running health and hygiene sessions and distributing hygiene kits and kitchen sets. These include items such as buckets, water coolers, and women's shawls.
Our response will also include constructing latrines and improving access to clean water. We are planning to install shallow tube wells and to set up water storage and distribution tanks, and are currently sourcing the equipment for these locally.
We are also calling on all sides in the conflict to take special care to avoid harming civilians, and to allow humanitarian workers safe access to help people affected by the conflict wherever they are.
You can help: donate to the emergency response in Pakistan