CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has provided
$100,000 to assist families in the Middle East who are unemployed
and cannot afford medical attention.
The funds were sent June 28 to Action by Churches Together
(ACT), which has issued an emergency appeal for funds on behalf
of the Middle East Council of Churches/Department of Service to
Palestinian Refugees (MECC/DSPR). MECC/DSPR provides health and
education services, vocational training, and community and
village infrastructure development for Palestinian refugees,
particularly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The current appeal is aimed at providing food and medical
assistance to more than 5,000 families in Gaza and the West Bank,
said Dr. Belletech Deressa, director for international
development and disaster response, ELCA Global Mission. ELCA
International Disaster Response funds will be sent to ACT for
implementation by the Middle East Council of Churches, she said.
"The political realities in the Middle East have induced the
ongoing economical and political emergency faced by a large
portion of the Palestinian population," said Deressa. The
emergency "is primarily due to the blockage of funds by
international donors and withholding of taxes and custom duties
collected for the Palestinian National Authority by the Israeli
government," she said, adding that "the financial withholding has
significantly contributed to food shortages, ill health and
increased misery for the poor, mainly women and children."
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.
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.
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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
