CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Action by Churches Together (ACT) is expanding its current relief projects in parts of southern Sudan following calls from Sudanese church leaders to address the food needs of displaced people in the northern part of the Barh al Ghazal Province. Months of fighting has displaced about 348,000 Sudanese there, ACT reports.
A food program is already under way further south in Barh al Ghazal, carried out in close cooperation with local churches, according to ACT. In some places displaced people from northern Barh al Ghazal are returning to their ancestral villages, creating a short term need for food aid intervention.
ACT has channeled about $16,000 worth of relief goods to northern Barh al Ghazal as well as 2,000 blankets, 340 mosquito nets and 100 cartons of soap. Food, oil and salt are being distributed to the same groups.
ACT is a worldwide network of churches, including the Lutheran World Federation, meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. ACT works through Church Ecumenical Action in Sudan.
During 1997 there was catastrophic crop failure in most of southern Sudan, according to the church leaders. Early rains delayed planting, then lack of rainfall resulted in poor crops. Later grasshoppers and extremely heavy rainfall damaged what little had grown.
"The large majority of people in southern Sudan are now affected by this food shortage," the church leaders said. "Much of the food resources which were available, including wild foods, have been exhausted. The next harvest will not come before August and many people do not have seed to plant even if the rains come normally."
ACT and the churches in Sudan are operating relief programs in other parts of Sudan. Food, seed, tools and medical and educational help for 24,000 displaced people is planned in Blue Nile Province in the far east of the country. Another program targets nomadic populations to the northeast along the border with Eritrea.
"Years of civil war and decades of neglect by the central government in Khartoum have combined to create dire needs for local populations" in these areas, ACT reports. The ongoing needs of thousands of displaced and other vulnerable people in parts of Sudan controlled by the government are targeted by the relief programs of the churches in Sudan.
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
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Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
