wfn.org | Lutherans Aid Relief Work in Central America, Congo, Middle East

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 4, 2001

LUTHERANS AID RELIEF WORK IN CENTRAL AMERICA, CONGO, MIDDLE EAST
01-246-MR

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) provided $40,000 this
month to rebuild damaged farms and crops from drought conditions in
Central America, $120,000 to support relief efforts from war in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and, $50,000 to assist Augusta Victoria
Hospital and Village Health Clinics, Jerusalem, in providing health care
services to refugees and other Palestinians.
     Members of the ELCA contribute funds to the church's International
Disaster Response fund.  Coordinated through the ELCA Division for
Global Mission, International Disaster Response helps relief agencies
provide funds for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and
other materials and supplies.  Funds are also sent to rebuild
communities and to repair structures destroyed by major disasters.

Democratic Republic of Congo
     The war that began in August 1998 still continues today in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, despite the Lusaka Peace Accord signed in
July 1999, according to the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for
international communication, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
     "Violence and armed clashes are a daily occurrence depending on
the tendency of the political or economic interests of the armed groups.
Their activities discourage the displaced people from returning to their
homelands, where they have their means of livelihood," Ishida said.
     Reports from the United Nations indicate that more than two
million people are "internally displaced" and more than 300,000 fled to
neighboring countries as refugees, Ishida said.  "The U.N. World Food
Programme estimates that more than 16 million people, one third of the
Congolese population, are affected by food shortages, with two million
facing severe shortages.  The level of malnutrition in children is
alarmingly high," he said.
     Resources are depleting in urban and rural areas that are hosting
a vast number of displaced people in dire need of life-sustaining
assistance, Ishida said.  The displaced people "are [robbed] of any
means to provide for themselves, and they continue to be a heavy burden
on the families that host them," Ishida said.
     The funds sent by the ELCA will help support the relief efforts
coordinated by Action by Churches Together (ACT), which has been
responding to some of the humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic
of Congo, since the war started.  ACT is a worldwide network of churches
and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency
response.  It is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.  The ELCA is a member of
both the WCC and LWF.
     LWF is working with organizations to provide food distribution,
shelter, water, sanitation items, tools and vegetable seeds.

Central America
     Farmland and crops are being destroyed as a result of drought
conditions in Central America.
     "The northwestern provinces of Nicaragua, eastern El Salvador,
western and southern Honduras have been the most drought-affected
areas," said Ishida.  The situation may become more critical this month
and in October, when crops are normally harvested, he said.
     ACT members in Central America, such as the Lutheran Church of
Nicaragua, are helping to provide food and agricultural assistance and
training, Ishida said.
     The funds sent by the ELCA will support the work of ACT, with
implementation guidance by LWF.

Augusta Victoria Hospital and Village Health Clinics, Jerusalem
     For the past 50 years LWF, through Augusta Victoria Hospital and
Village Health Clinics, Jerusalem, has been providing health care
services to refugees and other Palestinians, Ishida said.
     "The hospital has emergency response capabilities, such as an
emergency room, medical and nursing staff, and outpatient care
facilities to serve all patients regardless of race, gender, religious
belief, nationality, ethnic origin or political persuasion," he said.
"The hospital also sends medical transport, physicians and nurses to
trouble spots in and around Jerusalem," Ishida said.
     Access to essential medical treatment and medicines continue to be
difficult, as the Israelis have blocked the West Bank and Gaza, he said.
Augusta Victoria Hospital has been coordinating its resources with the
Village Health Clinics Team.  The team's objectives include the
provision of emergency care to the critically wounded; maintenance of
emergency and surgical units for a state of readiness; access to health
care services for refugees and other West Bank Palestinians; services to
home-bound patients and others needing regular medical treatment; kidney
dialysis treatments; and patient pick-up services in the West Bank, as
well as providing transportation of staff to refugee sites and village
clinics.
     The funds sent by the ELCA will support ACT and LWF relief efforts
in the Middle East.
- - -
INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS:
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

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html