wfn.org | Tsunami Donations to Fund Long-term Programs

["Henry Hess" <hessh@crcna.ca>]

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Jan. 14, 2005 --  The Christian Reformed World
Relief Committee (CRWRC) anticipates raising between $8- and $9-million
in donations and grants for tsunami relief in South Asia.  As gifts
continue to flow in, CRWRC is developing a multi-year plan to meet the
needs of disaster survivors in India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.

"We've been blessed by the huge outpouring of support that we've
received," said CRWRC-US Director, Andrew Ryskamp, "We plan to use these
gifts to be a blessing to those who are hurting."

CRWRC is an international relief & development organization that works
in more than 30 countries around the world.  Through its on-going
partnerships in South Asia, CRWRC was able to respond to the tsunami the
day after the disaster struck, providing food and emergency supplies to
thousands of families. Today, CRWRC is continuing to work through these
international partnerships to meet on-going needs.

"The needs in South Asia aren't just to provide emergency supplies,"
said Bruce Campbell-Janz, CRWRC Relief Project Manager.  "In Sri Lanka,
for example, more than 80% of fishing vessels were damaged or destroyed
by the storm.  That means that fishing families now have no way to
provide for themselves.  In other areas, farmers' fields were completely
destroyed and will need to be desalinated before they can be used
again."

CRWRC is responding to the longer-term needs by helping people to obtain
new boats and nets, helping farmers to rehabilitate their fields, and
helping more than 1,000 families to build new homes so that they can
move out of temporary camps and start getting back on their feet. CRWRC
is also planning to revitalize whole communities by helping them start
long-term development programs that will meet the ongoing challenges of
poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

"We've been working in Asia for many years, and we are committed to
working there for many more, " said Ryskamp. "We want to help
communities overcome not only this most recent disaster, but also the
other obstacles that are keeping them poor. Too often, chronic poverty
makes disasters like this one especially devastating for poor
communities. Through the generous support of so many North Americans, we
are now positioned to make a lasting difference."

Andrew Ryskamp is available for interviews.  He can be reached at (616)
224-0808 x 160

For more information about these programs, please visit www.crwrc.org or
call 1-800-55-CRWRC.  CRWRC is a Christian, non-profit organization of
the Christian Reformed Church in North America. With a bi-national home
office base in Burlington, Ontario and Grand Rapids, MI, CRWRC provides
a ministry of development, relief, and justice education to people in
need around the world.	CRWRC is currently active in 30 countries, and
has an international reputation for "living justice, and loving mercy."

---------------------------------
Henry Hess
Director of Communications
Christian Reformed Church
905-336-2920 ext.236
hessh@crcna.ca

To learn more about the Christian Reformed Church, visit www.crcna.org