wfn.org | [ENS] South Asian earthquake relief continues through ERD

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Saturday, October 15, 2005

South Asian earthquake relief continues through ERD

ENS101505-01

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal Relief and Development's partnership
with the Church of Pakistan and Church World Service are reaching more
people affected by the earthquake on October 8. At least 33,000 people
were killed in Pakistan and India and approximately 2.5 million people
are homeless.

"The Peshawar Diocesan Mission Hospital Medical team has departed Peshawar
to set up expanded medical care and a distribution point at the Church
Hospital in Gari Habibullah village," said Kirsten Laursen, ERD's Senior
Program Director of Asia and New Initiatives. "The Diocese of Peshawar
is responding in the devastated Northwest Frontier Province, and has
coordinated all their activities with the government authorities. This
hospital will be the base camp of all rescue and relief work of the
Church in this area," said Laursen.

ERD's partnership with the Diocese of Peshawar is helping the team, which
includes doctors and paramedical staff, provide medicine and food supplies
in Gari Habibullah. The diocese's youth department has also sent its
first rescue team of eight youth members to Gari Habibullah and Balakot,
taking some medicines, tents, clothes, water, and food supplies. Diocesan
assessment teams are working to identify at least four areas which will
be long-term response points for the Church. ERD's ecumenical partner,
Church World Service, is also providing support to the assessment teams.

"In Abbottabad, St. Luke's Church is serving as a base to assess response
needs throughout the diocese," stated Laursen. "The church, located
at the beginning of the historic Silk Road, is the end of accessible
roads into the area. We are also supporting the Diocese of Lahore and
the Diocese of Sialkot as they provide relief supplies such as food,
clothing, and shelter materials in the devastated region of Azad Kashmir."

On Wednesday, October 12, the Rt. Rev. Mano Rumalshah, Bishop of Peshawar,
led an interfaith service at the Cathedral for people affected by the
earthquake.

Through ERD's partnership with Church World Service, 6,000 families have
received relief assistance such as food items and shelter kits. Supplies
to set up medical camps are being organized to serve 100,000 people in
affected areas with emergency medical care, including immunizations.

Please continue to pray for people affected by the South Asia earthquake.

To help people affected by disasters, make a donation to the Emergency
Relief Fund at http://www.er-d.org, or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129.
Gifts can be mailed to Episcopal Relief and Development, Emergency Relief
Fund, PO Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101.

Episcopal Relief and Development is the international relief and
development agency of the Episcopal Church of the United States. An
independent 501(c) 3 organization, ERDsaves lives and builds hope in
communities around the world. We provide emergency assistance in times
of crisis and rebuild after disasters. We enable people to climb out of
poverty by offering long-term solutions in the areas of food security
and health care, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.

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