CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent $62,000 to Iglesia Luterana Fe y Esperanza de Nicaragua (Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope in Nicaragua) and $20,000 to Iglesia Luterana Costarricense (Lutheran Church in Costa Rica) June 16 for humanitarian assistance and the construction of homes, schools and community clinics following the devastation of Hurricane Mitch.
Hurricane Mitch killed more than 12,000 and left millions homeless in Central America Oct. 29-31. The Category 5 hurricane was the strongest storm to hit the Atlantic Ocean since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. The intense and sustained precipitation caused widespread flooding and mud slides in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.
The Lutheran church in Nicaragua will construct 20 housing units - - 10 in Aguespalapa, a province in Chinandega, and 10 houses in the province of Somoto -- and remodel a community health clinic and school in Aquespalapa.
The Lutheran Church in Costa Rica will continue to provide food and temporary shelter to 200 Nicaraguans displaced by Hurricane Mitch. The church will also provide pastoral care and counseling and secure employment for 50 individuals by December 1999. Community houses in Sarapiqui and Tejarcillo will also be remodeled.
The ELCA will also respond to a request for financial assistance from Iglesia Luterana Augustina de Guatemala (Augustinian Lutheran Church in Guatemala).
"Millions for Mitch" -- a campaign that involves millions of Lutherans contributing millions of dollars for recovery efforts in Central America following Hurricane Mitch -- has surpassed the $2.5 million-mark since the campaign began in November 1998.
Gifts designated for "Millions for Mitch" or "Hurricane Mitch" are used for church-related relief and recovery efforts under way primarily in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS:
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:
=20
Lutheran World Relief
Church Street Station
P.O. Box 6186
New York, NY 10277-1738
1-800-LWR-LWR-2
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.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
