The UMCOR Hotline

November 29, 2005

In Today's Hotline:
Armenia: Promoting AIDS Awareness
Texas and Rita: A Forgotten Pair
Central America: Rebuilding after the Floods
Christmas with UMCOR

ARMENIA: PROMOTING AIDS AWARENESS

UMCOR Armenia will be joining in World AIDS Day observances on December 1 in a display organized by the United Nations in Yerevan. The UMCOR HIV/AIDS prevention program, sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norwegian Church Aid, produced a memorial quilt sewn by young Armenians after they watched the film “Philadelphia” and heard local officials advocate for efforts to keep the promise of ending HIV/AIDS in Armenia. UMCOR’s efforts have met with such success that it has been invited to display its effective, culturally appropriate posters and brochures on December 1. Collaborating with UMCOR on the quilt project was World Vision, the National Center for AIDS Prevention and a local organization, Real People Real World. During World AIDS Week, UMCOR Armenia also will host a university lecture for students and the public to learn the facts about HIV/AIDS prevention.

You too can promote HIV/AIDS awareness this week in observance of World AIDS Day. Go to UMCOR’s World AIDS Day site to find out more and to order resources. To support UMCOR Armenia’s work, give to UMCOR Advance #250225, Armenia Emergency.

TEXAS AND RITA: A FORGOTTEN PAIR

In any other hurricane season, the damage wrought by Hurricane Rita would have warranted national attention for weeks. However in this year of major hurricanes, with the widespread and much publicized damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, Rita’s survivors feel quite forgotten by the outside world. Through UMCOR’s support and training, those affected by this major hurricane are taking action to care for their own needs in spite of the lack of national interest in this storm’s recovery.

The Texas Annual Conference hired a case manager supervisor and through UMCOR has conducted five case management trainings in Port Arthur, Orange, and Beaumont, TX. FEMA representatives attended every training session. Volunteers are being recruited for debris removal in all areas. Repair work should begin shortly after the New Year and volunteer work teams will be needed. A construction supervisor and a volunteer coordinator are already at work. Texas is also working with thousands of Katrina evacuees scattered throughout the state.

Your gifts to UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005, support recovery efforts for all of this year’s hurricanes. If you would like to designate your gift to a specific hurricane or region, please note this on your check.

CENTRAL AMERICA: REBUILDING AFTER THE FLOODS

Rains from Hurricanes Stan and Wilma as well as subsequent storms in October 2005 triggered mudslides in Central America. Indigenous people groups were primarily affected as their homes and farms tend to be in the mountainous villages that were washed away. UMCOR is providing immediate relief and long term support through local partners in Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador. They are helping those affected meet their daily needs for food and shelter as well as what they need to rebuild their homes and farms to prepare for their future.

Please give generously to UMCOR Advance #501300, Central American Emergency, to support these efforts.

CHRISTMAS WITH UMCOR

Here are two ways UMCOR can help you with your Christmas shopping
this year:

• UMCOR Christmas Wish List: Share Christmas with the world. Use this list as guide for giving this Christmas season. This list gives some of UMCOR’s priority projects and examples of how your gift can help another person, family, or entire community. Click here to find out more about UMCOR’s Christmas Wish List and how you can promote it in your church and community.




• UMCOR Calendar: The UMCOR 2006 Calendar, Harvest of Hope, makes an excellent Christmas gift. Make 2006 a year of hope by sharing this inspirational collection of rich images from around the world along with vignettes about UMCOR programs in each location. It comes with a CD containing a screensaver and additional resources. Order now! Supplies are limited! Call the GBGM Service Center at 1-800-305-9857 or order online at the GBGM E-Store.

  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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