wfn.org | Taiwan's Grassroots Strength Combines to Create Hope

[Taiwan Church News <pctpress@ms1.hinet.net>]

Taiwan Church News 2637, September 15, 2002
Reported by Li Hsin-ren. Translated and rewritten by David
Alexander

   Early on the morning on September 21st, 1999 the center of
Taiwan was rocked by an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter
scale. 2,300 people died and over 11,000 were injured.	Seventy
thousand residents lost their homes. The government sent the
military to conduct rescue operations. Grassroots organizations
stepped into the space for relief and rebuilding work.	High
quality action, resources and personnel flowed into the disaster
zone from all sectors.	The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT)
was one among many religious groups to participate in alleviation
of suffering.
   After the initial rescue and relief operations were completed
the PCT settled in for the long haul.  In January of 2000 the
church established a formal task force to supervise community
rebuilding in the region. Coordinated through a central office in
the city of Taichung, 18 (now 17) stations went to work in
Taichung, Nantou and Miao-li Counties.	 This was the largest
natural disaster recovery project ever undertaken by the church.
It was designed on the basis of partnership with people injured
physically, emotionally and spiritually by the quake.  The church
has made a long term commitment to these communities.
   The Chinese Christian Rescue Association is an
interdenominational Protestant group also engaged in community
rebuilding in the region.  Its project office places family and
home rebuilding as its prime focus.  It works through
neighborhood Family Support centers.  World Vision/Taiwan has a
"Hometown Rebuilding" project that has housed 700 families in
temporary shelters and has worked to resolve disaster victims
resettlement problems.	The Buddhist Tzu-chi Benevolent
Foundation has subsidized reconstruction of 55 schools and 1,741
damaged homes in four counties and cities.
   Across the three years since the quake, the PCT's Community
Rebuilding Office, the Christian Rescue Association, World Vision
and other grassroots agencies, beginning from rescue and relief
work, have moved into reconstruction, child and elderly
residents' services.  The provision of temporary housing was an
immediate result of their work.  The longer range aspects of
reconstruction are not always so visible to the eye.  Spiritual
and emotional reconstruction and growth are important, but
non-quantifiable.  Does the church have the patience to stick
with it?
   Since the disaster happened every relief project has had to
adapt to changing circumstances.  The PCT is committed to live
and act through partnerships and alliances as its community
rebuilding care stations are transformed. The staff who work in
these stations hope that the church's mission theme from the time
of the quake, "Establish Koinonia and Actualize the Kingdom of
God" will be more than just a slogan as new partnerships are
formed.

For more information:  921crc@ms2.pct.org.tw