ELCA NEWS SERVICE
January 10, 2007
Lutherans Begin 2007 Rebuilding Communities after Natural Disasters
07-003-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) have started 2007 helping to rebuild
communities overseas affected by natural disasters. Through ELCA
International Disaster Response, Lutherans have sent $300,000 to
support a tsunami rehabilitation program in Indonesia, $50,000 to
help fund typhoon-relief operations in the Philippines, and
$100,000 for flood relief in Kenya and Somalia.
Church World Service (CWS) continues to organize recovery
operations in Indonesia after a Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake in the
Indian Ocean produced a tsunami that left some 170,000 people
dead or missing in northern Sumatra.
The ELCA participates in the work of CWS, which is "one the
largest, implementing agencies in Indonesia," said Dr. Belletech
Deressa, director for international development and disaster
response, ELCA Global Mission. CWS "continues to help
communities affected by the tsunami. While the first phase of
the emergency is over, many people affected by the tsunami still
live in shelters, waiting for nongovernmental organizations and
the government to rebuild their homes," she said.
The ELCA sent $300,000 to CWS for recovery work in
Indonesia. "So far, CWS has received 73 percent of its $21
million initial appeal," said Deressa.
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.
The ELCA provided $50,000 to support recovery work in the
Philippines. On Nov. 23, 2006 Typhoon Durian caused
"immeasurable damage to six cities and 11 provinces in the
Philippines," said Deressa. The typhoon killed more than 500
people, left about 600 missing and injured about 1,330, she
reported. The funds were sent to Action by Churches Together
(ACT) to be implemented by Christian Aid and the National Council
of Churches in the Philippines -- both members of ACT. ACT has
made a $707,807 appeal to support relief work in the Philippines,
said Deressa.
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 ELCA sent $100,000 to ACT to help fund flood relief
efforts in Kenya and Somalia, said Deressa.
"In early 2006 Somalia started experiencing more annual
short rains, which had not been the case for a number of years,"
she said. "While the rain came as a relief after a long period
of drought, it also became devastating for people living in
central and southern Somalia, as well as northern Kenya and
southern Ethiopia. The net effect of the rains was unprecedented
flooding along river basins and lowlands, which destroyed
settlements, submerged farmlands and rendered many places
uninhabitable. The worst affected areas were in the Gedo
region," Deressa said. Thousands of people have been displaced
from their homes and up to 350,000 people could be directly
affected by the flooding.
Many valuable assets of flood-affected communities have been
washed away, and food stocks have been submerged by flood waters,
said Deressa. "Wells and barricades have been buried and
contaminated," she said. "As the flooding subsides,
possibilities of malaria outbreaks are high due to the prevailing
conducive breeding conditions for mosquitoes."
ACT, the LWF, CWS, Norwegian Church Aid, Christian Aid and
the Anglican Church of Kenya have made a $2.5 million appeal.
"The objectives of the appeal are to provide for [people's] basic
needs such as food and non-food items, the promotion of (good)
hygiene and sanitation among the flood-affected households
through water treatment, hygiene education and distribution of
clean water, rehabilitation of water sources and support for
income generating projects, activities and distribution of
seeds," Deressa said.
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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 [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
