Lutherans Respond To Humanitarian Crisis In Sudan

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have sent $75,000 to support humanitarian efforts in Sudan, where fighting and militia attacks have led to a massive displacement of people in various regions of the African country.
The situation in Sudan is being described as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in recent times, according to the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for leadership development and mission personnel recruitment, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
"There are fears that the situation, if not urgently addressed, could be reminiscent of the Rwanda genocide," Ishida said.
In Darfur, the western region of Sudan, militia attacks have caused 830,000 people to be internally displaced and more than 110,000 people -- 75 percent of them women and children -- to flee to neighboring Chad.
Aid to the displaced people in Darfur by humanitarian organizations has been problematic since the Sudanese government has been denying access, Ishida reported. Very little help has reached displaced people and most critical is the need for clean water, food, shelter and medicine, he said.
Through the ELCA International Disaster Response, members of the church sent $25,000 to Action by Churches Together (ACT) for implementation by Norwegian Church Aid, which is working to provide adequate water and sanitation services for up to 30,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad. Two refugee camps are being constructed to accommodate refugees there. Psychological support services for refugees are also being established.
Due to the high number of refugees, local resources have run out and both refugees and local communities are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, said Ishida.
Fighting between government-supported militia groups and the Sudan People's Liberation Army in the upper Nile region of Sudan have also caused a massive displacement of people, particularly in the town of Malakal and surrounding villages.
In a separate appeal for funds by ACT, members of the ELCA also sent $50,000 to support the work of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC).
The SCC -- a member of ACT -- is targeting 16,000 people who have been identified as the most vulnerable, and who have yet to receive any form of assistance in the upper Nile region of Sudan. It will provide people with food and non-food items, such as fishing equipment, seeds, plastic sheets, blankets, mosquito nets and cooking utensils.
"The internally displaced people are in a very desperate situation with little humanitarian assistance coming their way," Ishida said. "Dwellings have been razed to the ground, and any surviving possessions or animals have been looted. Established infrastructure, such as schools, health centers and community buildings have been destroyed," he said.
Coordinated by the ELCA Division for Global Mission, International Disaster Response often channels its funds through international church organizations and relief agencies.
ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies that meets human need through organized emergency response. It is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Lutheran World Federation (LWF), both in Geneva, Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of WCC and LWF.
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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 at http://www.elca.org/scriptlib/dcm/giving/idisaster.asp on the Internet.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news