It’s a world first, and for a good cause. And also very creative.
To draw attention to the plight of people affected by the devastating 2022 floods in Pakistan, and to raise funds for rebuilding efforts, the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) partnered with IMPACT BBDO to offer a unique, and brilliant, solution.
What did they do? They named one of the climate-affected towns after the donation website ‘climatechangetown.pk’, making it the first town in the world to have a website as a name.
Khalid Mehmood Shaikh, CEO of SPHF, said: “Every town in the world has a name. We thought of naming the town something that would get the world to pay attention to the climate change crisis that Pakistan is currently facing.
“Our people are in dire need of help, and with this website, the world will know exactly how and where to help them.”
First presented at COP 28 in the UAE, the campaign has already generated global attention in climate discussions, and has attracted donations from organisations and individuals.
The town name is officially listed in government land departments, and also on Google Maps, and on a number of sign boards leading to the town itself in Pakistan.
Pukka houses
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is currently the fifth most climate-vulnerable country in the world. Experts are predicting that flooding is now going to be a yearly occurrence in Pakistan.
SPHF is now helping people build ‘pukka’ (solid) houses, using resilient construction materials and pre-defined guidelines, to withstand climatic challenges like heavy rains and flash flooding.
Building a resilient home for each of these families is important since previously, their homes were ‘kutcha’ (made of mud) thus making them acutely vulnerable to climatic disasters.
While the government has stepped forward to support reconstruction efforts, there’s still a huge funding gap. One that SPHF aims to overcome by reaching out to the world.
Mr.Shaikh added: “Officially renaming of a town is a bold move – but it’s the kind of bold action that we need to fight against climate change.
“It’s a reminder to the international community that Pakistanis are not responsible for causing climate change, they are merely victims. And we need the world to come together to help us stay afloat.”
Through climatechangetown.pk, SPHF is hoping to turn the tide for flood victims and direct much-needed funds towards providing them with better living conditions.
The funds will be used to expand the rehabilitation efforts that started with climatechangetown.pk, to other villages across the country.
With this campaign, SPHF plans to rebuild more than 2 million homes, making it the world’s largest housing reconstruction programme.
