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National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Email: news@ncccusa.org  Web: www.ncccusa.org 

Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2227

68NCC6/19/00
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CWS EMERGENCY RESPONSE NEWS BRIEFS

·	CWS Responds to Global Emergencies 
- Food Shortage in Korea
- Flooding and Heavy Rain in Argentina
- War in Eritrea
- Spring Storms in Kansas, Missouri
	
·	CWS Response Featured in Media
- CBS Cambodia Documentary 
- CROP Walk Video

Church World Service (CWS) works in more than 80 countries, including the United States, in disaster relief, human development and refugee assistance. It is a humanitarian response ministry of the National Council of Churches, whose 35 Protestant and Orthodox member communions have a combined membership of more than 50 million.

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE RESPONDS TO GLOBAL EMERGENCIES

NEW YORK CITY---- Church World Service is supporting global ecumenical response in several emergencies, including the following:

Food Shortage in North Korea
CWS is sending $41,625 in donated canned beef to the Korean Christians Federation in efforts to alleviate food shortages in North Korea.  
CWS is also helping in efforts to send $50,000 for the purchase of soybeans, oil and lentils and $25,000 for the purchase of blankets as part of efforts by the Partnership with Korean Women Task Group.  The task force is a group of U.S. and Canadian church women working with North and South Korean women on relief work in North Korea.

Flooding and Heavy Rain in Argentina
CWS has sent $12,000 in blanket funds to the Argentine Federation of Evangelical Churches following a recent state of emergency in Buenos Aires and the community of San Pedro where some 13,000 were evacuated from their homes after recent heavy rains, winds and flooding.  The $12,000 will be used to purchase blankets for those who have been displaced by the storms.

Displaced Persons in Eritrea 
Following three years of war, nearly 25,000 Eritrean people have been displaced.  Church World Service has sent $30,000 in blanket funds to the Eritrean Development Foundation, which is assisting those persons internally displaced in Eritrea following a May military offensive against Eritrea by neighboring Ethiopia. 
The funds will provide two blankets and three sleeping mats for each of 2,500 affected households. 

Spring Storms in Kansas, Missouri
CWS is sending $5,000 to the Parsons Ministerial Alliance in Kansas for seed money to help with long-term recovery efforts there following a series of tornadoes in April that destroyed at least 53 homes and 23 businesses. 
Also receiving funding is Franklin County Interfaith Flood Response in Missouri, which is receiving a $2,500 seed grant in the wake of flooding earlier this year. Both grants stem from the 2000 Spring Storms Appeal.

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE RESPONSE FEATURED IN MEDIA 

	NEW YORK CITY---- Recently, the work of CWS has been featured in programs focused on response and reconstruction.  

CBS to Broadcast Documentary on Cambodia Features CWS
CBS Television is broadcasting "Cambodia: To Live Is To Hope," a documentary that features the work of Church World Service and examines how agencies like CWS have helped with development and democratization efforts.  The program focuses on the efforts of Cambodians to develop their country despite years of oppression and war.  "Cambodia: To Live Is To Hope" will air on CBS between June 17 - July 16. Please check local CBS stations for the air date and time for this program.

Video Highlights Mitch Reconstruction Work
"Footsteps of Hope," a new CROP Walk video, focuses on the response of CWS, its partners and member denominations in Honduras and Nicaragua following Hurricane Mitch. The work highlights an important part of ecumenical work in the region: CWS-coordinated work teams. From January through May of this year, 37 work teams have been in Honduras, about seven a month.  For a free copy of the video, call your CWS/CROP Regional Office (1-888-CWS-CROP).

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All information is drawn from CWS Emergency Response Office bulletins.