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 drought conditions in northern Cameroon, a country in west-central Africa.
"Drought conditions began last year, when the seasonal rains ended abruptly in July, before the cereal crops could reach maturity," said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for international communication, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
"This year, erratic rainfalls have drastically affected agricultural production. Prices have increased and [the cost] of basic food items is well beyond the means for an average person," Ishida said.
"People are selling what little possessions they have in order to feed their families or obtain necessary medicines. If no assistance is forthcoming, famine will soon take its tolls and the most vulnerable, especially children and elderly, may die," he said.
Three million people live in northern Cameroon. It is estimated that 75 percent of residents in the area can be classified as "vulnerable," according to Ishida. "There are few industries in this area; most are agricultural. Inclement weather, in the form of intense heat and drought, affects this area. [The weather] disrupts agricultural activities with loss of crops, livestock and hence, a family's livelihood," he said.
The funds sent by the ELCA will help support relief efforts coordinated through 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 Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Geneva, Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of both the WCC and LWF. Distribution of the funds will be implemented by the Lutheran Church of the Brethren of Cameroon, Ishida said. "While the government of Cameroon has solved part of the food needs for the far north province, the Lutheran Church of the Brethren is concentrating on the areas where the population relies on income [generated] through agriculture. About 24,400 of the most vulnerable families will receive food and seed (short-cycle maize and sorghum), along with the [assistance] to help manage livestock and disaster situations in the future," he said. 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.
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
