Title: Lutherans Begin 2007 Rebuilding Communities after Natural Disasters ELCA NEWS SERVICE
January 10, 2007
Lutherans Begin 2007 Rebuilding Communities after Natural Disasters 07-003-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have started 2007 helping to rebuild communities overseas affected by natural disasters. Through ELCA International Disaster Response, Lutherans have sent $300,000 to support a tsunami rehabilitation program in Indonesia, $50,000 to help fund typhoon-relief operations in the Philippines, and $100,000 for flood relief in Kenya and Somalia.
Church World Service (CWS) continues to organize recovery operations in Indonesia after a Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake in the Indian Ocean produced a tsunami that left some 170,000 people dead or missing in northern Sumatra.
The ELCA participates in the work of CWS, which is "one the largest, implementing agencies in Indonesia," said Dr. Belletech Deressa, director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Global Mission. CWS "continues to help communities affected by the tsunami. While the first phase of the emergency is over, many people affected by the tsunami still live in shelters, waiting for nongovernmental organizations and the government to rebuild their homes," she said.
The ELCA sent $300,000 to CWS for recovery work in Indonesia. "So far, CWS has received 73 percent of its $21 million initial appeal," said Deressa.
Coordinated by ELCA Global Mission, International Disaster Response channels its funds through international church organizations and relief agencies. Funds provide for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and other materials for survivors of disasters.
The ELCA provided $50,000 to support recovery work in the Philippines. On Nov. 23, 2006 Typhoon Durian caused "immeasurable damage to six cities and 11 provinces in the Philippines," said Deressa. The typhoon killed more than 500 people, left about 600 missing and injured about 1,330, she reported. The funds were sent to Action by Churches Together (ACT) to be implemented by Christian Aid and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines -- both members of ACT. ACT has made a $707,807 appeal to support relief work in the Philippines, said Deressa.
ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergency situations worldwide. It is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Geneva. The ELCA is a member of the WCC and LWF.
The ELCA sent $100,000 to ACT to help fund flood relief efforts in Kenya and Somalia, said Deressa.
"In early 2006 Somalia started experiencing more annual short rains, which had not been the case for a number of years," she said. "While the rain came as a relief after a long period of drought, it also became devastating for people living in central and southern Somalia, as well as northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia. The net effect of the rains was unprecedented flooding along river basins and lowlands, which destroyed settlements, submerged farmlands and rendered many places uninhabitable. The worst affected areas were in the Gedo region," Deressa said. Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and up to 350,000 people could be directly affected by the flooding.
Many valuable assets of flood-affected communities have been washed away, and food stocks have been submerged by flood waters, said Deressa. "Wells and barricades have been buried and contaminated," she said. "As the flooding subsides, possibilities of malaria outbreaks are high due to the prevailing conducive breeding conditions for mosquitoes."
ACT, the LWF, CWS, Norwegian Church Aid, Christian Aid and the Anglican Church of Kenya have made a $2.5 million appeal. "The objectives of the appeal are to provide for [people's] basic needs such as food and non-food items, the promotion of (good) hygiene and sanitation among the flood-affected households through water treatment, hygiene education and distribution of clean water, rehabilitation of water sources and support for income generating projects, activities and distribution of seeds," Deressa said. - - - INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS: Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to survivors of major disasters outside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include: ELCA International Disaster Response, PO Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764, 1-800-638-3522 and http://www.ELCA.org/disaster/idrgive on the Internet.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog