CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In response to the earthquake that struck Peru on June 23, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) contributed $20,000 to the church's International Disaster Response fund to support emergency assistance in the South American country.
More than 70 people have died and more than 850 were injured, said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for international communication, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
"According to the Peruvian Civil Defense, 20,000 people have been rendered homeless and thousands of others are terrified to return home amid recurring aftershocks. The death toll is expected to rise, since many people remain missing," Ishida said.
"Disruption of water, electrical supplies and telecommunications are hampering relief effort," he said.
Church-related organizations in Peru -- DIACONIA and PREDES -- have dispatched their emergency teams to the affected areas to assess the situation and the needs of people, said Ishida. "They will begin aid and reconstruction activities soon."
These organizations are members of 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. The funds sent by the ELCA will help support relief efforts coordinated through ACT.
"Though ACT has not issued an appeal yet, an initial grant was sent [by the ELCA] to assist with preliminary disaster assessment and relief," Ishida said.
"With an anticipated appeal, some of the relief items most needed are likely to be blankets, tents, water, food and medicine," he said. "Other members of ACT in Peru are on the alert and ready to mobilize their emergency teams."
Members of the ELCA contribute funds to the church's International Disaster Response fund. Coordinated through the ELCA Division for Global Mission, International Disaster Response helps relief agencies provide funds for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelters and other materials and supplies. Funds are also 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:
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
