wfn.org | UMNS# 05077-UMCOR readies start-up operations in Sri Lanka,

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UMCOR readies start-up operations in Sri Lanka, Indonesia

Feb. 2, 2005	 News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New
York {05077}

By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Guy Hovey was in Sarajevo, Bosnia, during the siege of
that city, and he witnessed in Northern Iraq how Saddam Hussein's
efforts at ethnic cleansing wiped away entire villages.

But Hovey - who directs operations for Europe and Asia for the United
Methodist Committee on Relief - was unprepared for the magnitude of the
devastation he found in Sri Lanka after the Dec. 26 tsunami.

Though only sections of the country were struck by the tsunami, "the
destruction is just total in the affected areas," he said. "Nothing
comes close to the scope of it. The power of nature is unbelievable."

In a Feb. 1 presentation at the United Methodist Board of Global
Ministries, UMCOR's parent organization, Hovey outlined preparations
under way for the agency's long-term response. United Methodists already
have donated more than $6 million to assist the Asian tsunami survivors.

UMCOR is allocating $100,000 apiece to start-up operations in Sri Lanka
and Indonesia. The agency also will request approval for a $1.5 million
project in each country from directors of the Board of Global Ministries
when they meet in April.

David Sadoo, field staff for UMCOR's emergency services, will arrive in
Sri Lanka on Feb. 4 to set up an office, do assessments, act as a
liaison between the agency and local Methodists, and meet with donors
and government officials. A second person, yet to be named, will be
deployed to Indonesia.

Hovey visited Sri Lanka in January with Kristin Sachen, UMCOR's head of
disaster response, and said they were impressed by the capabilities of
Sri Lankan Methodists. "Their emergency response was excellent," he
added.

But the church has been overwhelmed by the task, he noted, and the Sri
Lankan Methodists want UMCOR to provide the mechanism for their
continuing relief work.

UMCOR and the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka have chosen an area on the
east coast of the island nation for the work. Hovey believes the area
will be underserved by other relief organizations, which are
concentrated in the south. Tamil rebels control the area, and the
Methodist Church is one of the few organizations allowed to work in
areas under their authority, he said.

He hopes to assist an estimated 2,000 people in eight communities near
the town of Verugal with an integrated reconstruction program focusing
on housing and livelihoods. Many in the area had made a living by
fishing or farming and can reclaim those occupations. Less fortunate,
according to Hovey, are the unskilled laborers whose places of
employment were destroyed by the tsunami.

As they have in places like Bosnia and Kosovo, United Methodists want to
foster interfaith dialogue and opportunities for reconciliation among
the Christians, Hindus and Muslims in the area. "There's a lot of good
we can do beyond the reconstruction and income generation," Hovey
pointed out.

Work in Indonesia will include housing and income-generation projects in
Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. Hovey expects to conduct short-term employment
generation or cash-for-work projects, such as cleaning up debris. UMCOR
also is investigating relief work on the small island of Nias, which he
said had more tsunami damage than first reported.

Monetary donations to UMCOR's "South Asia Emergency" relief efforts can
be placed in local church offering plates or sent directly to UMCOR, 475
Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Designate checks for
UMCOR Advance #274305 and "South Asia Emergency." Credit-card donations
can be made online at www.methodistrelief.org or by calling (800)
554-8583.

# # #

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
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