ELCA NEWS SERVICE December 29, 2004 ELCA Sends $150,000 To Help Initial Relief Efforts In South Asia 04-237-FI CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) International Disaster Response released $150,000 to assist immediate relief efforts in several coastal nations of the Indian Ocean, after a massive underwater earthquake Dec. 26 created huge waves that claimed more than 77,000 lives in 12 countries. The Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for leadership development and mission personnel recruitment, ELCA Division for Global Mission, said ELCA International Disaster Response sent $100,000 through Action by Churches Together (ACT) to coordinate meeting overall needs in the region. It designated another $30,000 to support the work of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India and $20,000 for other regional relief work, particularly in Indonesia. ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies that meets human need through organized emergency response. It is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Lutheran World Federation (LWF), both in Geneva, Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of WCC and LWF. "In addition to government and relief organizations around the world, church-related relief operations have begun," said Ishida. The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), a member of ACT, has already started responding to the emergency brought on by the massive sea surge, he said. Members of ACT International in India -- Church's Auxiliary for Social Action and Lutheran World Service India -- have been in touch with the ACT coordinating office in Geneva. They are working together with ACT member United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India to assess people's needs in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, said Ishida. "In Indonesia, the province of Aceh on Sumatra's northern- most tip, near the epicenter of the under-sea quake, is reported to have been hit the worst. Members of ACT in Indonesia -- Yayasan Tanggul Benkana, Yakkum Emergency Unit/CD Bethesda and Church World Service -- will be coordinating their response to the emergency," he said. The immediate needs for survivors include clean water, medicine, shelter and food. There are great fears of water-borne diseases, such as malaria and diarrhea, Ishida said. The earthquake "struck under the sea in north Sumatra, Indonesia, generating sea surges that sped across the ocean and striking land as far as Somalia and Kenya on the east coast of Africa," Ishida said. "Thousands of people are still missing in the coastal regions of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka," he said. "Millions of people have been rendered homeless by the devastating tsunami." "Most of the affected countries and areas have church connections to the ELCA," Ishida said. They include the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan, and Simalungun Protestant Christian Church, in Indonesia; the Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Myanmar, and the Myanmar Council of Churches; the Church of Christ in Thailand, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand; the Bangladesh Lutheran Church, and Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh; the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the South Andhra Lutheran Church in India; and the Lanka Lutheran Church, Sri Lanka. Contributions to ELCA International Disaster Response will be directed 100 percent to relief efforts in South Asia, channeled through ACT. Coordinated by the ELCA Division for Global Mission, International Disaster Response often directs its funds through international church organizations and relief agencies. -- -- -- 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, or at http://www.elca.org/scriptlib/dcm/giving/idisaster.asp on the Internet. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news