The UMCOR Hotline

November 1, 2005

In Today's Hotline:
US: UMCOR to Lead National Case Management Effort for Katrina Recovery
Pakistan/Kashmir: The Rush to Provide Relief
Central America and the Caribbean: Hurricane Relief
Africa: Malaria Control Ministry Begins in Kissy
UMCOR: Don’t Miss These New Resources

US: UMCOR TO LEAD NATIONAL CASE MANAGEMENT EFFORT FOR KATRINA RECOVERY

FEMA recognized UMCOR’s expertise in long-term disaster recovery through case management by selecting UMCOR to lead the case management effort which will help some 100,000 families. UMCOR will manage a $66 million grant from the federal agency. The grant will be dispersed among a consortium of case management providers selected and led by UMCOR. This program will be called Katrina Aid Today. For more information about Katrina Aid Today see UMCOR’s homepage.

The grant is not for direct aid to survivors, and UMCOR continues to seek donations from United Methodists to provide assistance through annual conferences and national mission institutions. Due to the magnitude of relief efforts required to adequately respond to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, generous donations to UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005, are needed. If you would like your gift to go to a specific hurricane or region, please note that in the memo line of your check.

PAKISTAN/KASHMIR: THE RUSH TO PROVIDE RELIEF

As winter draws near and the threat of infection and illness is realized, relief workers are rushing to provide relief to earthquake survivors in Pakistan and the Kashmir region. Winter weather will soon seal off remote villages in the area’s mountains, leaving survivors without further assistance until spring.

UMCOR partners Church World Service and International Blue Crescent have been working mainly in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. In India and Indian-controlled Kashmir, long time UMCOR partner, Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action is working to provide relief supplies to survivors there. Additionally, UMCOR is supporting the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana to send medical teams into the earthquake-affected region.

The need for an immediate and comprehensive response is especially pressing in this disaster. Your gifts to UMCOR Advance #232000, Pakistan/Kashmir Earthquake, support these lifesaving efforts.

CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: HURRICANE RELIEF

Hurricanes Stan, Wilma, and Beta, as well as Tropical Storm Alpha, ravaged Central America and the Caribbean. UMCOR is responding through local partners there. In Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala UMCOR is working with Equal Exchange and other local agencies that are providing immediate relief and long term recovery support to people who traditionally draw their livelihoods from the land. UMCOR is working with additional partners in Nicaragua to provide relief there.

In Haiti, UMCOR is working with the Methodist Church of Haiti to help families affected by Wilma and Alpha’s flooding rains.

Please give to UMCOR Advance #501300, Central America Emergency, to support these important recovery efforts.

AFRICA: MALARIA CONTROL MINISTRY BEGINS IN KISSY

The United Methodist Community-Based Malaria Control Program is the denominational effort to eradicate this lethal disease. The program will launch at UMC Maternity and Health Center, Kissy in Freetown, Sierra Leone, December 5-10, 2005. Plans to replicate the program in Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other countries are also in the works. For more information, visit UMCOR’s Malaria page.

Today, the Rev. Randy Day, GBGM General Secretary and Bishop Machado of Mozambique participated in a press conference on the topic at the TIME Global Health Summit in New York. The summit, hosted by Time Warner, Inc., drew speakers such as Bill Gates, Kofi Annan, Madeleine Albright, and others.

Your gifts will help fight malaria in Africa and give life to thousands. Please give to UMCOR Advance #982009, Malaria Control.

UMCOR: DON’T MISS THESE NEW RESOURCES

The latest bulletin insert on UMCOR’s response to five major hurricanes that struck the US this year is now available here. Read, print, and share this insert to tell others how UMCOR is making a difference in the lives of hurricane survivors.

Do your Christmas shopping with UMCOR. The UMCOR 2006 Calendar, Harvest of Hope, will make a great gift. It’s available from the GBGM E-Store. For just $10 you receive UMCOR’s 13-month calendar filled with inspiring vignettes and rich photography as well as a CD with additional resources.

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.