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June 21, 2002: This is a heightened time of disaster around the world. The crisis in the Mid-East and the war on terrorism have overshadowed many other critical situations and emergencies. The funds in UMCOR's International Disaster Response, Advance #982450-8 have been completely depleted, which leaves UMCOR unable to respond to many emergency situations that remain hidden from public awareness, yet involve great suffering. Examples include some of the worst flooding ever experienced in central and western China. Vast areas of western China are under water and millions of people have been affected. UMCOR has recently responded to flooding in Chile where further assistance is needed. The Methodist Church in Venezuela has requested assistance in providing medical attention to people suffering from skin diseases and asthma as a result of heavy rains and flooding several months ago. Please give to Advance #982450-8 to enable UMCOR to respond to these and many other emergency situations around the world.
The World Food Program estimates that by March of 2003, 12.8 million people in the southern African countries of Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Swaziland will require emergency food assistance. Nearly 8 million people in these countries are in need of assistance now. Many children and older adults have already died. The famine has been caused by two years of poor harvests due to a variety of natural disasters, economic crises, and mismanagement of grain supplies. Please give generously to UMCOR's Africa Famine Relief, Advance #101250-4.
The United Methodist Church in Liberia is struggling to meet the basic humanitarian needs of internally displaced people. Your gifts to Liberia Emergency, Advance #150300-7 will enable UMCOR to continue to support the efforts of the church to provide immediate relief and long-term war recovery.
A recent communication from one of the United Methodist bishops in Angola asks that we do everything we can to provide immediate humanitarian assistance and support for long-term development. The new peace in the country has allowed aid workers to reach areas that were previously cut-off and the desperate plight of the Angolan people has become more evident. People need just about everything to sustain and rebuild their lives including medicine, food, seeds, and tools. Please support relief and development efforts in Angola by giving to Angola War Recovery, Advance #105720-5.
There are UMCOR disaster response consultants located in Colorado who are doing preliminary assessments to determine the best way for UMCOR to respond to the fires. With the fires still raging, it is too early to know the extent of the damage, but there will be people who have lost their homes that do not have adequate insurance or resources to rebuild without assistance. In Minnesota, the damage assessment from the flooding has been complicated by additional rainfall and high winds. Homes and businesses, including crops and farmland, have been destroyed in the flooding. To join in the response to these and other disasters in the US, please give to UMCOR's Domestic Disaster Response, Advance #901670-1.
Gifts may be made through local United Methodist churches, or by calling 1-800-554-8583. Credit card donations are accepted. You can also make a a secure online gift at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/ .
UMCOR is providing emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about current UMCOR ministries, please visit the website: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/ .
And, please pray for those who are hungry, displaced, sick or in poverty because of these and other natural and human-made disasters, and for the workers who minister to them.
June 20 was World Refugee Day, celebrated world wide by churches and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees which has issued special materials and planned celebratory events in Washington, DC. The focus this year is on women and children.
The period since September 11 has been a difficult one for refugees. Those in refugee camps, especially women and children, lead a precarious existence, and those approved for the US Refugee Program may be subject to attack. Yet these most vulnerable people have been held back in dangerous situations by new security measures and travel limitations. Only 15,000 of the 70,000 refugees President Bush said would be admitted this year have arrived. Refugees, including women and children, continue to face terror on a daily basis. Please observe Refugee Day by calling the White House Comment Line, 202-456-1111 or sending an e-mail to: president@whitehouse.gov.
Ask the President to recommit to bringing the full allocation of 70,000 refugees to be admitted to the US before the end of the fiscal year. REMEMBER, YOUR VOICE MAKES A DIFFERENCE and is needed on behalf of victims of violence.
Also, plan to hold a Refugee Sunday in your church and recognize refugees in a special service or other event. Remember refugees have made a major contribution to our nation. Special materials, including an issue of "Refugees" magazine focusing on refugee women and children, a video, and posters are available from UNHCR, through the website: http://www.usaforunhcr.org
To support UMCOR's many refugee ministries, give to Global Refugee Response, Advance #982540-1.