August 18, 2010

CHICAGO – In August 2010 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) allocated $235,000 to international church organizations and relief agencies working to reach families and individuals in need of services and supplies following natural disasters.

Funds were allocated to meet the specific needs of people in Pakistan, China, Malawi and Uganda.

Pakistan

In response to the monsoon flooding in Pakistan, the ELCA provided $100,000 to support the work of Church World Service (CWS) which is providing food, emergency shelter materials and health assistance to survivors. The ELCA is a partner of CWS, based in New York.

"Along with our partners, the ELCA will remain committed to responding to the tragedy in Pakistan as it continues to unfold," said Megan E. Bradfield, associate director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Global Mission.

China

China is facing its worst flooding in a decade, according to Bradfield. Heavy rains produced floods and landslides across central and southern China, leaving 701 people dead and 347 others missing, she reported.

The ELCA provided $25,000 in response to an appeal for funds from the Amity Foundation – a member of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance. Funds will enable the foundation to provide food, temporary shelter and basic household items for 3,000 families and individuals displaced from their homes. Provisions are also being made for post-crisis recovery assistance, such as housing and the restoration of livelihoods.

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.

Malawi

About 2 million people in southern Malawi do not have access to food, reported Bradfield. Prolonged dry spells and a worm outbreak affected crops, particularly in Malawi's Nsanje, Chikhwawa, Thyolo and Balaka districts.

In an effort to address the food insecurity situation, the ELCA provided $20,000 to the Evangelical Lutheran Development Service (ELDS) in Malawi. The ELDS started a six-month program, ending in January 2011, to provide food to hundreds of households. In addition to food aid, the ELDS is addressing environmental issues and agricultural needs.

Uganda

In March 2010 landslides in the Bududa district of eastern Uganda killed more than 300 people and left thousands homeless. The landslides destroyed crops and land.

In an effort to restore land and "increase the resilience of communities vulnerable to landslides," said Bradfield, the ELCA provided $40,000 to the Gumutindo Coffee Cooperative Enterprise, Ltd., a partner of Lutheran World Relief based in Baltimore. About 530 farmers of the cooperative are working to plant more than 98,000 trees, construct water and soil conservation structures and establish woodlots for households.

ACT Alliance's Rapid Response Fund

The ACT secretariat requested funds from alliance members to replenish ACT's "Rapid Response Fund," which has a balance of $105,000, said Bradfield. Typically the fund has about $1 million, she said.

"The ELCA historically supports (the fund) with transfers averaging $50,000 in undesignated" giving, she said, adding that the ELCA provided $50,000 in August 2010.

The ACT Rapid Response Fund allows access up to $70,000 to alliance partners that have planned immediate response to small- and large-scale disasters while a full assessment and appeal is produced, said Bradfield. She said the ACT secretariat foresees the need for more financial resources, given some current emergencies in Asia.

Information about ELCA Disaster Response is at http://www.ELCA.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/Disaster-Response.aspx, on the ELCA's website.

ELCA News Service