CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) provided $40,000 this month to rebuild damaged farms and crops from drought conditions in Central America, $120,000 to support relief efforts from war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and, $50,000 to assist Augusta Victoria Hospital and Village Health Clinics, Jerusalem, in providing health care services to refugees and other Palestinians.
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 shelter and other materials and supplies. Funds are also sent to rebuild communities and to repair structures destroyed by major disasters.
Democratic Republic of 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.
"Violence and armed clashes are a daily occurrence depending on the tendency of the political or economic interests of the armed groups. Their activities discourage the displaced people from returning to their homelands, where they have their means of livelihood," Ishida said.
Reports from the United Nations indicate that more than two 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 people, one third of the Congolese population, are affected by food shortages, with two million facing severe shortages. The level of malnutrition in children is alarmingly high," he said.
Resources are depleting in urban and rural areas that are hosting a vast number of displaced people in dire need of life-sustaining assistance, Ishida said. The displaced people "are [robbed] of any means to provide for themselves, and they continue to be a heavy burden on the families that host them," Ishida said.
The funds sent by the ELCA will help support the relief efforts coordinated by Action by Churches Together (ACT), which has been responding to some of the humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, since the war started. 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.
LWF is working with organizations to provide food distribution, shelter, water, sanitation items, tools and vegetable seeds.
Central America
Farmland and crops are being destroyed as a result of drought conditions in Central America.
"The northwestern provinces of Nicaragua, eastern El Salvador, western and southern Honduras have been the most drought-affected areas," said Ishida. The situation may become more critical this month and in October, when crops are normally harvested, he said.
ACT members in Central America, such as the Lutheran Church of Nicaragua, are helping to provide food and agricultural assistance and training, Ishida said.
The funds sent by the ELCA will support the work of ACT, with implementation guidance by LWF.
Augusta Victoria Hospital and Village Health Clinics, Jerusalem
For the past 50 years LWF, through Augusta Victoria Hospital and Village Health Clinics, Jerusalem, has been providing health care services to refugees and other Palestinians, Ishida said.
"The hospital has emergency response capabilities, such as an emergency room, medical and nursing staff, and outpatient care facilities to serve all patients regardless of race, gender, religious belief, nationality, ethnic origin or political persuasion," he said. "The hospital also sends medical transport, physicians and nurses to trouble spots in and around Jerusalem," Ishida said.
Access to essential medical treatment and medicines continue to be difficult, as the Israelis have blocked the West Bank and Gaza, he said. Augusta Victoria Hospital has been coordinating its resources with the Village Health Clinics Team. The team's objectives include the provision of emergency care to the critically wounded; maintenance of emergency and surgical units for a state of readiness; access to health care services for refugees and other West Bank Palestinians; services to home-bound patients and others needing regular medical treatment; kidney dialysis treatments; and patient pick-up services in the West Bank, as well as providing transportation of staff to refugee sites and village clinics.
The funds sent by the ELCA will support ACT and LWF relief efforts in the Middle East. - - - 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
- - -
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
