CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent emergency assistance to people in Mozambique Feb. 24, after Cyclone Eline stranded hundreds of thousands of people there. The cyclone deteriorated living conditions in Mozambique, after two months of heavy rain produced extensive flooding there and in South Africa.
Members of the ELCA sent $100,000 in response to an appeal issued by Action by Churches Together (ACT), a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. ACT is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of both the WCC and LWF. Members of ACT are helping families resettle in Mozambique who have lost their homes, crops, livestock and other means of income, said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for international communication, ELCA Division for Global Mission. "An estimated 220,000 families in Mozambique have been affected by floods and Cyclone Eline," said Ishida. "In some northern parts of South Africa, more than 17,000 people have been affected by flooding. At least 52 people are reported dead in South Africa as a result of the floods." In addition to the destruction of homes and property, floods also brought health problems such as diarrhea, cholera and various skin diseases, said Ishida. The ELCA also sent $50,000 for relief efforts in South Africa. These funds will be implemented by ACT member South Africa and the South African Council of Churches (SACC). The LWF and SACC started relief work in South Africa in early February, said Ishida. "This included crisis assistance, as well as providing for resettlement for families." Members of the ELCA contribute funds to the church's International Disaster Response. Coordinated through the ELCA Division for Global Mission, the International Disaster Response helps relief agencies provide funds for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter, and other materials and supplies. Funds are used to rebuild communities and to repair structures destroyed by major disasters.
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:
Lutheran World Relief
PO Box 17061
Baltimore, MD 21298-9832
1-800-LWR-LWR2
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
- - -
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
