Lutherans Keep Disaster Response in Africa a Top Priority

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) keep disaster response in Africa a top priority despite little attention from the secular media, according to the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for international communication, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
Information about "ongoing international disasters appears as blips in the media," said Ishida. "Some attention from the secular media occurs from time to time, such as reports about the current famine in southern Africa. While it is good that attention is there to some degree, the reality is that these are very quickly forgotten by most people," he said.

SOUTHERN AFRICA
Ishida said there are many ongoing needs in parts of Africa. "Southern Africa continues to be ravaged by drought and famine. This is serious, especially as the area is considered to be the bread basket of southern Africa," he said.
The drought has led to serious food shortages. The World Food Programme described the food shortage as perhaps the most severe and urgent dilemma the international community faces at the moment, Ishida said. "The organization estimates that some 13 million people in southern Africa are at risk of starvation by March 2003, unless something urgent is done to avert this," he said.
Some of the most affected countries include Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The majority of people are dependent on subsistence agriculture and, as always, women and children are at the worst end of the food crisis, Ishida said.
Members of the ELCA have contributed more than $100,000 of the church's International Disaster Response fund to support famine relief efforts in southern Africa.
Coordinated by the ELCA Division for Global Mission, International Disaster Response often channels its funds through international church organizations and relief agencies. Funds are used to provide food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and other materials for survivors of disasters around the world.

ETHIOPIA
Ethiopia also has been hard hit by drought, Ishida said. The World Food Programme indicates that six million people are already in dire need of assistance, with another eight to nine million at risk in the coming months, he said.
Ethiopia is a country highly dependent on rain-fed agriculture, said Ishida. "This year's partial or total failure of the 'belg' (short rain) in many areas aggravated the food problem. The 'meher' (longer rain) also came late and was erratic, affecting the cycle of crop development and the availability of pasture and water supplies in many areas. Many areas have also not recovered from the drought conditions of 1999 and 2000," he said.
The ELCA contributed $70,000 to support famine relief efforts in Ethiopia.

ERITREA
Four years of erratic rain have left many areas of Eritrea very dry and unproductive. The harvest is expected to be about 85 percent less than a normal year, Ishida said.
"The Eritrea Relief and Refugee Emergency Commission and the United Nations have estimated that the number of people that require relief food assistance is more than one million. Most of the country's areas also face acute shortages of water for people and livestock," he said.
"The situation is worsened by the effects of the recent war with Ethiopia. Refugees, internally displaced people and other residents are being affected by the war and drought conditions," said Ishida.
The ELCA sent $25,000 to support the relief efforts in Eritrea. The funds were sent to Action by Churches Together, a worldwide network of churches and related agencies that meets human need through organized emergency response. It is housed with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation, in Geneva, Switzerland.
"ELCA International Disaster Response has responded to many other disasters in Africa and other parts of the world. The support of ELCA members is very important as the church responds with compassion and urgency," Ishida said. -- -- --
Details on the ELCA's International Disaster Response can be found at http://www.elca.org/dgm/disaster/current.html on the Web.

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 or
http://www.elca.org/scriptlib/dcm/giving/idisaster.asp on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html