In 2011 Sindh  endured some of the worst floods the region has ever experienced. This  beautiful province of Pakistan has been plagued  with severe floods before but none as destructive and life destroying as this one. The rains fell harder and harder and showed no signs of relenting  for most of August 2011. An appeal was sent out which most, including Beta Charitable Trust, responded to swiftly  with hopeful results.  But no amount of money will ever be able to undue  the damage to the natural environment  caused  by this natural disaster.

The rains have since stopped in Sindh and dry weather has followed. Unfortunately due to the  poor infra-structure of many cities, rain water has still not been able to drain away completely and many of the streets still remain submerged in water. Not only has the water blocked streets and trading routes, but it has also brought skin diseases, malaria and various other infections with it .Even with all these hurdles, the people of Sindh are determined to bring their drenched region back to its former natural beauty. But they need help.

Accu-Check Aviva Test Strips are manufactured and designed to help diabetics monitor and maintain their glucose levels. People with diabetes are more susceptible to eye problems due to high or low blood glucose. Cataracts and Glaucoma are among the vision loss conditions that are caused by either high or low blood glucose.

The Accu-check Aviva Test Strips were sent to Tanzania in East Africa to help our group of volunteers assess potential patients with eye problems due to high or low blood glucose. The strips will enable the volunteers to check glucose levels in most if not all patients and determine who needs surgery, who needs vitamins and who is diabetic.

From the 26th of September to the 1st of October 2011, a group of volunteers including; two dentists and a dental nurse set off on a journey that would change their lives and the lives of others forever. Using the Matemwe primary school as their base of action the team began to set up a free dental camp designed, to improve the oral health of the youth in Zanzibar and to educate the children on how to keep oral hygiene up to a high standard. The dental check ups were free to the children and the target of the volunteers was to treat an estimated number of 150 children, in grades 1, 2 and 3 all between ages 7-12.

The Sachek medical clinic keeps Beta Charitable Trust updated with all the work they carry out and each time we receive a report we are more and more impressed with the work that they do. The clinic has always been about helping people. The process is simple: if a patient has a condition they need advice on, or they have an illness that needs serious attention, then the  Sachek medical clinic provides a  free service to help alleviate the patients  medical problems regardless of their ethnicity or religious background. This is one of the very few clinics  in the area that practices a non discriminatory policy  Below is a chart that shows some of the medical problems encountered and the number of people treated.

Since 1995 our partners in Gilgit, Pakistan have worked non stop to provide the people of this vast area with health and medical care. Under their supervision, seven health centres throughout the region of Baltistan have sprung up and each provided health assistance to 800-1000 patients every month.

The surrounding areas of the Baltistan region are simply beautiful and there is no better way to see what the land has to offer than driving along the 810 mile Karakoram Highway. The road itself connects China and Pakistan through the mountain ranges, Karakoram. The bridge is built at  an altitude of over 15,000 ft and it is often considered the ninth wonder of the world for this very reason. The road and the srrounding 810 miles of beauty is a popular tourist attraction, providing people with unforgettable scenes of wildlife and blissful views.

However, there is another side to having such a road.