Relief and Development

RELIEF is how ELCA World Hunger responds to the immediate needs of people who are homeless, living in poverty, or who otherwise do not have the means to provide adequate nutrition for themselves or their families. This includes access to food, clothing, shelter, medical supplies and care, and other basic needs.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT is the critical element of work done during and after relief to ensure the long-term viability of a community that experiences hunger, poverty, or widespread health issues. Development leads to increased access to food and sustainable livelihoods through means such as sustainable agriculture, care for the environment, appropriate technology, adequate housing, jobs, primary health care and disease prevention, job training, child care, elder care, nutrition education, literacy training, sanitation, safe water supplies, below-market loans, and just land use and distribution.