CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has sent $20,000 to an ecumenical effort to aid victims of February earthquakes in Afghanistan. According to Action by Churches Together (ACT), 32,000 people in 24 villages in the Rostaq district were affected by the quakes.
ACT reports the earthquakes killed 2,323 people, injured 818, destroyed 8,094 houses and killed 3,083 livestock animals. The economy of the area centers around livestock and some grain production. ACT described these communities as "among the poorest in the world." The stricken area has almost no infrastructure, ACT reports.
ACT is a worldwide network of churches, including the Lutheran World Federation, meeting human need through coordinated emergency response.
The gift through the ELCA's International Disaster Response will help the ACT effort provide food needed for 1,800 especially vulnerable families. ACT assistance includes seeds, fertilizers and agricultural tools.
Pointing out that Afghanistan is a predominantly Muslim country, Belletech Deressa of the ELCA's Division for Global Mission said, "We take this action as an expression of love for our brothers and sisters in the human family."
ACT will provide aid to farming families from destroyed and damaged villages. ACT's partners, Church World Service and Norwegian Church Aid, will assist communities in repairing irrigation networks, with livestock production and with support needed to reconstruct homes and reduce peoples' vulnerability to future earthquakes. Seeds, tools and fertilizer will help assure that families will have food next year.
Afghanistan is the world's third poorest country, ahead of Sierra Leone and Guinea in human development.
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.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
