CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) contributed $20,000 to the church's International Disaster Response fund to support relief efforts from war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The war that began in August 1998 still continues today in the Democratic Republic of Congo, despite the Lusaka Peace Accord signed in July 1999, according to the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for international communication, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
The failure of the Lusaka Peace Accord seems to have been a result of ineffective leadership; and the success of the accord depended on the cooperation of the parties involved, Ishida said. "None of the signatories fulfilled what they had pledged, each blaming the other for noncompliance," he said.
Various reports from the United Nations indicate that more than 2 million people are "internally displaced" and more than 300,000 fled to neighboring countries as refugees, Ishida said.
"The U.N. World Food Programme estimates that more than 16 million one-third of the Congolese population are affected by food shortages, with 2 million of these facing severe shortages. The level of malnutrition in children is alarmingly high," he said.
The funds sent by the ELCA will help support the relief efforts of Action by Churches Together (ACT). ACT is working with Eglise du Christ au Congo (Church of Christ in Congo) in North and South Kivu, and the Lutheran World Federation/World Service to provide food, shelter, health care, water and sanitation items, tools and vegetable seeds.
ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. It is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of both the WCC and LWF. Coordinated through the ELCA Division for Global Mission, International Disaster Response helps relief agencies provide funds for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and other materials and supplies. Funds are also used to rebuild communities and to repair structures destroyed by major disasters. In August 2000, members of the ELCA contributed $50,000 to the church's International Disaster Fund to support the work of ACT in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. -- -- -- INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS:
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:
ELCA International Disaster Response
PO Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
1-800-638-3522
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
