Remembering happier times in Pakistan

Busy street, originally uploaded by westy48.

In January 1997 I went to Pakistan to do technical things for the BBC's coverage of the general election there.

After a couple of days in Islamabad I was sent to Larkana in Sindh province, to meet up with a reporter. On polling day we travelled around the area, visiting polling stations in the towns and villages outside Larkana. Wherever we stopped small groups of smiley boys would follow me down the street practising their English with calls of "Hello, how are you?" At every stop we were offered tea, and at every stop we drank it.

Now I can't help but wonder how those smiley children are doing after the floods. They'll perhaps be parents themselves now, with families to try to look after. If the pictures on the telly haven't persuaded you about how bad this is have a look at Mudassir Ejaz Khan's photos here.

If you haven't already done so, please consider making a donation to help the people in Pakistan. There are plenty of places where you can do this online, here are a few choices:

The Disasters Emergency Committee
Unicef
Islamic Aid