CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Grants from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran World Relief (LWR) will help famine-stricken people in southern Sudan. War and drought have left hundreds of thousands displaced and now starving. According to Action by Churches Together (ACT), an estimated 150,000 people in Sudan face starvation and death in the next month.
ACT is a worldwide network of churches, including Lutheran World Relief and the Lutheran World Federation, meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. The ELCA is providing $50,000 and LWR $30,000.
In Rumbek and Yirol counties, 620,000 people, many returned refugees or internally displaced, are concentrated near roads and highways, some of which contain land mines, in hope of receiving emergency food. Most are too weak to farm or look for wild leaves to eat. Even these "famine foods" are soon to be exhausted. Large numbers of children are sick or malnourished, with those under the age of 14 most seriously affected. Relief access on the ground is minimal, with bad roads and expected rains necessitating continued food airlifts.
As part of the efforts coordinated by ACT, 800 metric tons of relief food are being sent to assist approximately 180,000 people in the next six months. High protein supplements and medicines will be provided for children under five years old for three months, and a new feeding center for young children will be staffed with a nutritionist and local workers. Farmers ready to plant will receive 200 metric tons of maize, sorghum, cowpeas and groundnut seeds as well as agricultural tools. A monitoring system is being implemented to assess food security.
Working through local churches and other partners, LWR is helping the Sudanese in other ways as well. For Sudanese and other refugees in Kenya, LWR has secured more than $560,000 for the Kakuma refugee camp and is sending the camp a material aid shipment valued at $1,083,000 including quilts, health and school kits. In the past two years, LWR has supported peace and reconciliation programs in Sudan and self-help projects for Sudanese refugee women in Kenya.
LWR works in overseas development and relief on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod.
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director 1-773-380-2958 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
