ELCA Aids Flood Relief in Bangladesh

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Rains have flooded nearly 60 percent of Bangladesh, killing more than 520 people, rendering thousands homeless and damaging millions of acres of standing crops.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has responded to the disaster with $55,000 in assistance.
     ELCA International Disaster Response sent an initial $5,000 to Koinonia, an agency monitoring need in Bangladesh.
     The ELCA has sent an additional $25,000 through Action by Churches Working Together (ACT) to the Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) in northern Bangladesh and $25,000 to Lutheran Health Care in the southern part of the country.
     ACT is a worldwide network of churches, including the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), meeting human need through coordinated emergency response.
     Bangladesh is densely populated.  A population about half that of the United States lives in an area the size of Illinois.  It's located in southern Asia, at the northern tip of the Bay of Bengal, east of India.
     The economy of Bangladesh is largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture.  The current rains have lasted more than two months, washing away most crops and seeds for future crops.
     RDRS, a former LWF World Service program, is prepared for small scale disasters with emergency supplies held in store.  These can be distributed by their trained disaster preparedness volunteers, but the storms have damaged roads and disrupted road transportation in many places.
     ELCA-related Lutheran Health Care-Bangladesh is prepared to respond to health care needs created by flood-related diseases, such as deadly diarrhea.
     Future assistance from the ELCA will be channeled through ACT and Lutheran Health Care.

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:

                     Lutheran World Relief
                     390 Park Avenue South
                      New York, NY  10016
                          212-532-6350

For information contact:
Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Director 1-773-380-2955 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html