Title: ELCA Supports Recovery Efforts in Burundi, China ELCA NEWS SERVICE
June 29, 2007
ELCA Supports Recovery Efforts in Burundi, China 07-117-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In an effort to help meet the basic needs of people and reconstruct homes in China's southern Yunnan Province, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) provided $50,000 after a June 4 earthquake left three people dead and more than 560 others injured there, as of June 5. Lutherans also have provided another $50,000 to help reconstruct communities and support the needs of people in the Republic of Burundi after years of armed conflict there.
Earthquake assistance in China's Yunnan Province
The earthquake was the most serious in 30 years, causing widespread damage in five counties of China's Yunnan Province, according to Action by Churches Together (ACT). Of these counties, Ning'er County was the worst affected, with all nine townships sustaining significant damage.
Latest statistics from the Ning'er disaster relief headquarters report that 242,000 houses in rural areas have been damaged, 11,400 houses collapsed and 140,000 houses severely damaged. About 536,000 people from Ning'er and nearby counties have been affected, and 180,000 people evacuated. The quake damaged pipes, cutting off water supplies, and communication lines were down, according to ACT.
Funds were sent from ELCA International Disaster Response to ACT. They will be implemented in China by Amity Foundation, a partner of ACT. 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.
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 Amity Foundation is an independent church-related organization developed by Protestant Christians in China to help meet needs related to health education, social welfare, rural development, relief, and rehabilitation within Chinese society. The ELCA relates to China primarily through the Amity Foundation.
Amity Foundation is currently planning to help meet the basic needs of 2,000 of the most vulnerable families rendered homeless, who have not received any help from the government or other agencies, according to ACT. The government and various organizations have released funds and provided relief materials.
Amity has reported that the needs (of people) are still far greater than the assistance provided so far, reported ACT. Ning'er County is one of the poorest counties in China, where most farmers live in houses constructed of wood and mud which are easily destroyed in an earthquake.
Reconstruction, recovery for survivors of armed conflict in Burundi
After 12 years of armed conflict in Burundi -- bordered by Rwanda and Tanzania in Africa -- 2007 marks the start of reconstruction and development efforts, according to ACT. While 2005 saw progress in the peace process in Burundi, with the holding of a constitutional referendum, followed by general elections culminating in the inauguration of a new president, 2006 was a much more mixed year in political terms.
ACT reported that living conditions remain difficult after more than a decade of war and large-scale population displacements. It said people have limited access to health services, and the insecurity generated in previous years by the fighting has now given way to crime, as part of the population now has no occupation. The disarmament process has not produced the hoped-for results.
Burundi lies vulnerable to the effects of instability and regional pressures -- fewer than 200,000 registered Burundian refugees remain in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). At the same time DRC has just come out of a delicate electoral process, which could also trigger an influx of Congolese to swell the ranks of those already in Burundi, according to ACT. Another stream of Rwandan asylum-seekers, who are again fleeing their country in the wake of a crackdown by the Rwandan authorities, is also possible.
On the basis of several needs assessments conducted individually by ACT members, ACT will maintain its response in 2007 -- ranging from emergency response to strengthened community- based recovery interventions in support of the most affected populations, including the reintegration of people returning from forced displacement.
Funds from ELCA International Disaster Response were sent to ACT in June 2007 for implementation by the LWF. - - - 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