Ordinary Pakistanis jam highways in rush to volunteer

In these valleys near the epicenter of Pakistan's earthquake, industrialist Nauman Wazir is applying the skills that made him rich in the steel business to push relief aid to quake survivors. Sometimes that means paying money under the table to move mountains - or pieces of mountains at least.

"Being businessmen, we use our own methods, giving money here and there. Anything to get this done," says Mr. Wazir, explaining how he paid out of his own pocket to have landslides cleared so trucks could reach inaccessible areas. "Since the quake I've not been at my job. We've probably lost millions of rupees," he adds, standing in a tent village funded by the Industrial Association of Peshawar, a group he oversees. "But I could not have lived through the trauma had I not done something."

All across Pakistan, efforts to overcome the disaster have been borne by thousands of citizens like Wazir. Their efforts underscore a robust local response that contrasts sharply with relatively tepid donations from the international community.

Pakistan has one of the highest rates of philanthropy in the world, with studies showing that 58 percent of Pakistanis volunteer their time to needy causes, giving nearly $700 million a year in charity. Alms giving is built into the very social and economic fabric of the state, with some $70 million automatically deducted each year from national bank accounts as part of the mandatory Muslim prescription known as zakat.

But observers say that, even by Pakistani standards, the public response has been overwhelming, with relief aid and volunteers immediately pouring into the affected areas from all over the country. It has reinvigorated a civic spirit not seen in some four decades.

Many are translating whatever skills and methods they can to relief work, turning small websites into fundraising platforms, tapping old high school networks for aid, and applying medical training to mend wounds. Those unable to make it to the field are also actively involved, using the Internet and cellphones to donate record amounts of money in novel ways. And people are coming from all over the country to lend a hand.

"There were traffic jams for 1,000 kilometers, from Karachi to the northern areas, the whole length of Pakistan," says Nasreen Khattak, an opposition member of the Provincial Assembly of the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP), one of the hardest hit areas.

Money has also been pouring in. Fundraisers, running the gamut from full-fledged foundations to private individuals, say they raised cash nearly instantaneously after the quake. Wazir, for example, says his association raised about $50,000 within an hour of starting its campaign.

Convenient and novel methods of donating, undertaken by the government, the corporate sector, and private individuals, have helped open the cash stream. Many banks have set up special relief accounts, while a campaign coordinated by various telecom companies has generated tens of thousands of dollars, industry insiders estimate, by allowing mobile phone users to send donations through short message service, or SMS.

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