wfn.org | Honduran churches assist survivors

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Nov. 25, 1998  Contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York     {697}

NOTE:  This story may be used a a sidebar to UMNS story #696.

By United Methodist News Service

The Honduran government has turned to the churches for management of
emergency aid to Hurricane Mitch survivors.

A Nov. 23 report from the Christian Commission for Development (CCD) in
Honduras noted that church leaders and local municipal officials met the
week of Nov. 16 to draw up agreements "defining exactly what the role of
the church would be."

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and Church World
Service, the relief agency of the U.S. National Council of Churches, are
among those working with CCD to assist Hondurans devastated by the late
October hurricane, which killed more than 11,000 in Central America.

Church leaders warned that they didn't have the resources to provide a
long-term solution for those left homeless by Mitch. Noemi Espinoza,
CCD's executive president, pointed out that only the government and
municipalities can provide the land on which people can build houses.

Other concerns in Honduras include:

* A deteriorating health situation. In both Honduras and Nicaragua,
cases of leptospirosis, a disease caused by a bacteria transmitted by
rats, bats and dogs' urine, have been reported. Stagnant, muddy  remains
a serious health hazard.
* The unleashing of landmines, planted in the 1980s by the U.S.-backed
Contras. The mines, along the border with Nicaragua, have been washed
downstream into other areas.
* A flood-provoked spill of dozens of barrels of pesticides, used for
export crops. According to Doctors Without Borders, a medical brigade
has treated 30 cases of poisoning so far.

According to the CCD, there are many fears about the long-term economic
effect of Hurricane Mitch. On Nov. 20, Jose Fernandez, the director of
the National Association of Small and Medium Industries of Honduras,
warned that an estimated 10,000 small businesses will go bankrupt
because of hurricane damage.

Oscar Bolioli, a Methodist and Church World Service executive, visited
Honduras Nov. 17-22. During a meeting with Honduran President Carlos
Flores, Bolioli said he learned "the major fear that the government has
at this point...is the creation of a huge amount of unemployment."

The problem, he added, is not just with the poor, but also with the
middle class. "Some of them lost the house, lost the car, lost the job,"
he explained.

Workers for the major economic players in Honduras - Dole, Chiquita
Brands and Del Monte - are idle and the expectations are that it will be
a year to a year and a half before those companies are fully productive
again, according to Bolioli. Another fear is that the companies will
make adjustments to their operations there that could be detrimental to
the Honduran economy, he said.

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/