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The UMCOR Hotline

May 31, 2005

Many Hands Make Small Work in Sri Lanka
Providing employment for the area's fisher folk who lost their livelihoods in the tsunami was just one of the many reasons UMCOR and the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka started the beach clearing project in Sri Lanka. A clean beach is necessary because it keeps nets from tearing. Initially UMCOR agreed to work with 16 societies to clear fishing beaches. On the day of the planning meeting, 28 societies showed up. With the agreement of the initial 16, all 28 societies were included the project. In one week about 6 miles of beach were cleaned. The locals said the area looked better than it did before the tsunami.

Each society fishes on an allotted portion of beach. To encourage members from the various groups to work together, they cooperatively cleared each other's sections. In addition to working together, they also cooked and ate together, fostering a spirit of camaraderie.

UMCOR supplied tools, cooking supplies and food, and paid the workers for their time clearing the beach to supplement their incomes. The program directly benefited 429 people. All of those involved told UMCOR staff that they were happy with the program's results. The next steps for these fishing societies are to replace their lost equipment and rebuild their vadhies, the tool sheds and resting areas for fisher folk who are working on the beach. UMCOR will be there helping them every step of the way.

UMCOR Responds to Serious Illnesses
Since last fall, northern Angola has witnessed the spread of the Marburg virus. This rare hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola has taken close to 300 lives; 200 of them in March and April alone. Currently, the outbreak shows no signs of abating. UMCOR is helping to contain the virus with a grant to train 40 women and men on prevention in their communities.

UMCOR is also helping The United Methodist Church in Cameroon respond to the cholera pandemic there. United Methodist missionaries Wes and Leah Magruder handed out 225 cholera prevention kits funded by UMCOR to households in their communities, providing families with supplies to keep the disease from spreading. UMCOR is also assisting in treating wells in the 14 surrounding areas to assure that water sources are cholera free.

Your gift to UMCOR Advance #982450, International Disaster Response can help fight these deadly diseases.

Famine in Africa
Food shortages from both the lack of rain and breakdown of civil infrastructures are causing famines in southern and eastern African nations. Severe famine conditions are already present in several countries and food aid is unable to meet the increasing demands. A 21-year-old mother in Eritrea said, "We don't have enough to eat. . . . We get just 8 kg [about 16 lbs] of food aid for each of us every month." She endured a long journey by foot and bus to get hospital treatment for her twins.

UMCOR works to relieve famine by supporting Action by Churches Together in their emergency feeding program. UMCOR also works with local Methodist churches at their request in providing emergency food to their communities. Your gift to UMCOR Advance #101250, All Africa Drought/Famine Relief, can help alleviate human suffering.

UMCOR has just published new electronic bulletin insert, "To Buy a Seed Is a Sign of Hope." It is ready for you to download, print, and use locally.

2005 Hurricane Season Begins
June 1 marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. Once again meteorologists are predicting an active season. Last year four successive storms battered the southeastern United States. Recovery efforts from those storms continue even as preparations are made for the storms to come. You can help prepare for the 2005 hurricane season by giving to UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005 Global. At the same time, last year's storm damage still needs lots of help! Your gift to UMCOR Advance #982410, Hurricanes 2004, can help make repairs to homes damaged in 2004.

UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.

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.

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Featured Photos
United Methodist Committee on Relief

Sri Lankans pushing and tractor pulling debris.

Sri Lankans work together to clear the beach of debris left by the tsunami. A clean beach is necessary to work because it keeps nets from tearing. In one week about 6 miles of beach were cleaned. UMCOR supplied tools, cooking supplies and food, and paid the workers for their time clearing the beach. The program directly benefited 429 people. Credit: David Sadoo/UMCOR, April 6, 2005.

A man receives bleach, part of the cholera prevention kit.

At a cholera prevention day in Obala, Cameroon, a man receives bleach. United Methodist missionaries Wes and Leah Magruder have given 225 cholera prevention kits funded by UMCOR to households there. Courtesy Wes and Leah Magruder.

Zambian man kneels in his field of dead corn.

UMCOR has just published new electronic bulletin insert, "To Buy a Seed Is a Sign of Hope." It includes a photo of this farmer in Lisutu, Zambia who lost his corn crop because of drought. Please download, print, and use this bulletin insert to raise funds for UMCOR Advance #101250, All Africa Drought/Famine Relief. Credit: Richard Lord/UMCOR 2002.

More About UMCOR's Work