CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is providing $1
million to help build homes and communities in Indonesia after a
Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake in the Indian Ocean produced a tsunami
that left some 170,000 people dead or missing in northern
Sumatra.
"Rebuilding homes is a high priority. The generous gifts
given by our members over the past year will become walls and
roofs, providing permanent shelter for those who lost everything
when the tsunami swept away so much in Indonesia," said the Rev.
Rafael Malpica-Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission.
The $1 million will be disbursed in several installments.
The first allocation of $300,000 was provided June 1 to Action by
Churches Together (ACT) for implementation by Yakkum Emergency
Unit (YEU), an Indonesian disaster response organization. The
funds will be used to support the rebuilding of more than 200
homes in Kuala Bubon, a fishing village in northwestern Sumatra
that was swept away by the tsunami.
The ELCA is a member of ACT -- a global alliance of churches
and related agencies working to save lives and support
communities in emergency situations worldwide. It is based with
the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF), both in Geneva, Switzerland. The ELCA is a
member of the WCC and LWF.
Coordinated by ELCA Global Mission, International Disaster
Response channels its funds through international church
organizations and relief agencies. Funds provide for food,
medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and other materials
for survivors of disasters.
"Given the incredible destruction caused by the tsunami,
rehabilitation will take years, and the ELCA will accompany its
companions as they assist survivors on the long path to
recovery," said Malpica-Padilla. "At the same time the ELCA is
supporting its Indonesian companions as they respond to the
massive earthquake in Java (May 27), a disaster of immense
proportions that requires a major response from the international
community," he said.
ELCA engaged in a five-year disaster response plan for tsunami-
affected areas
The tsunami killed more than a quarter of a million people
in East Africa and South Asia. In response, members of the ELCA
contributed about $11 million to support a five-year tsunami
disaster response plan. Coordinated by ELCA Global Mission, ELCA
International Disaster Response developed a series of principles
to guide its response. The principles include "walking with"
survivors and communities to rebuild livelihoods and strengthen
communities, supporting partner organizations and companion
churches, and helping churches to be more prepared for future
disasters.
The ELCA is in phases two and three, otherwise known as the
"rebuilding phase," according to the Rev. Joseph Chu, program
director for Asia and the Pacific, ELCA Global Mission. Those
phases include a $2 million grant to Lutheran World Relief (LWR)
for Sri Lanka relief and rehabilitation, and $300,000 to the
United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India for Jubilee Village
start-up funds. Funds will also be given to Church World Service
(CWS) and YEU for relief and rebuilding in Indonesia. LWR,
Baltimore, is an overseas relief and development ministry of the
ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The ELCA participates
in the work of CWS.
ELCA International Disaster Response distributed $1.37
million in "immediate relief" of phase one. It is committed to
long-term relief and recovery efforts in tsunami-affected areas.
The distribution of funds will be considered over a period of
time in response to particular needs for the rebuilding of
communities and people's lives. Information about the
disbursement of funds is available at
http://www.ELCA.org/disaster/article.asp?id=20&mode=1 on the
ELCA Web site.
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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 and
http://www.ELCA.org/disaster/idrgive on the Internet.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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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
