Past CCCA Activities

IBM Pakistan Responds to Earthquake Disaster

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale, centered 95 kilometers northeast of Islamabad, struck on 8 October 2005. Tremors felt across the region from Kabul to Delhi. In Pakistan alone, over 57,000 were killed, some 77,000 people injured and more than 3.5 million people made homeless. We sprang immediately to action: The Global Crisis Response Team was deployed to Islamabad. The team headed by Brent Woodworth from USA having extensive experience of deploying solutions to improve disaster relief efforts and worked during the Tsunami Disaster in Srilanka and other countries. They visited Balakot, Muzaffarabad, and other earthquake areas and submitted a consultancy report to the Prime Minister.

IBM’s earthquake relief contribution consists of donation of cash, laptop computers, server hardware, Little Tikes KidSmart computers for children ages 4-10 in rehabilitation centers, and open-source disaster management software. Recipients include the Earthquake Relief Commission, NADRA, the Red Crescent Society, and two NGOs.

IBM Sponsors Trauma Management Workshops

Based on the interest shown by the Prime Minister and concerned ministries, IBM invited Dr. Kevin Becker, Director of the Institute for Trauma & Crisis at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Guy Sapirstein, Supervising Psychologist of The Trauma Center in Allston, Massachusetts to conduct a series of Trauma Training Workshops in Islamabad.
The first workshop was held on December 8 in association with the Ministry of Social Welfare & Special Education. Two Basic and two Advanced workshops were ran. Workshops were designed as "Train-the-Trainer" courses to allow those who attend to take the training and material and teach others in managing trauma. Topics includes Developing Training Skills, The Trauma Response, Children in Disasters, Psychological Support, and Skill Development for Dealing with Traumatized Children. The Advanced workshop also covered Diagnostics, Treatment Models, Complex Trauma in Children, and Child Reaction Index. IBM’s trauma specialists spent their first day in Islamabad visiting PIMS Hospital, relief camps in Sector H-11, and the Melody Spinal Injury Center to get firsthand knowledge of the trauma situation. A manual has been prepared called "Psychological Support for Children Following the Earthquake of October 2005". It is meant for use by medical personnel, social and health workers, teachers, and volunteers. People interested in getting a copy of the manual may send their request by e-mail to IBM at

ibm_pakistan@pk.ibm.com