ELCA NEWS SERVICE
November 20, 2007
ELCA Responds to Disasters on Three Continents
07-196-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA), through its International Disaster Response,
provided $173,500 to support recovery efforts in Indonesia,
Nicaragua and Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe
Seen as the "breadbasket" of Southern Africa for years,
Zimbabwe's economy is facing hyperinflation, said Dr. Belletech
Deressa, director for international development and disaster
response, ELCA Global Mission.
"The cost of basic commodities such as foodstuff has gone
far beyond the reach of the average Zimbabwean," she said. "The
biggest challenge facing the country is food shortages."
The United Nations called the crisis there a "triple threat"
-- food insecurity, poor governance and the HIV and AIDS
pandemic, Deressa said. "The socioeconomic situation in Zimbabwe
currently calls for interventions to avert human suffering," she
continued. Unemployment has reached 80 percent.
ELCA International Disaster Response sent $100,000 through
Action by Churches Together (ACT) to implementing partners in
Zimbabwe -- Christian Care and Lutheran Development Services.
Those agencies "will continue to support humanitarian
interventions in Zimbabwe in order to mitigate the impact of an
enduring crisis on the most vulnerable population groups," 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 in Geneva with the World
Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF). The LWF is a global communion of 140 Lutheran churches
representing 66.7 million Christians. The ELCA is a member of
the WCC and LWF.
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.
"We ask you to pray for peace and justice to prevail in
Zimbabwe during these difficult times," Deressa said.
Nicaragua
Hurricane Felix was the third strongest hurricane to hit
Central America in this decade, Deressa said. On Sept. 4 the
storm struck Nicaragua's North Atlantic Autonomous Region. The
government there reported 67 dead, 110 missing, 136 rescued and
162,373 people affected, she said.
"The rural locations of this region are geographically
isolated," Deressa said. "In all these communities, water wells
were contaminated, latrines were flooded, health centers and
community houses were destroyed, houses were either damaged or
totally destroyed, and crops were completely lost," she said.
"People are threatened with starvation."
"Acute respiratory diseases have emerged since the families
are out in the open air. This may have a higher impact on
infants," Deressa said.
ELCA International Disaster Response sent $50,000 through
ACT to implementing partners in Nicaragua -- Christian Medical
Action and the Nicaraguan Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope
(Iglesia Luterana de Nicaragua "Fe y Esperanza").
Indonesia
"Indonesia has become one of the countries in Asia that
faces numerous natural disasters, including earthquakes that
trigger tsunamis," Deressa said. A September earthquake off the
coast of Sumatra damaged Lutheran churches in Mentawai and
Bengkulu.
ELCA International Disaster Response sent $23,500 to the
LWF Department for Mission and Development to assist in church
restoration in Bengkulu, Deressa said.
- - -
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
