UMCOR will respond to the famine in Ethiopia through our ecumenical partner ACT (Action by Churches Together, the relief and development arm of the World Council of Churches). An estimated 8 million people are at risk and several hundred people, primarily children, have already died. ACT partners will provide food assistance for 750,000 people. To join in this response, please give to Advance #101250-4 "Ethiopia Famine Relief."

   Ethiopian girl making bread: The current famine could become as bad as the one in Ethiopia in the 1980s. Photo by John C. Goodwin, GBGM, 1984.

   UMCOR staff members in Mozambique report that one of the major problems is the condition of the roads. Because so many roads were destroyed in the flooding, even communities that were not directly affected by flood water are suffering because food and other items cannot be delivered. Many of these communities are not receiving any assistance from relief or government agencies. Together, UMCOR and the United Methodist Church in Mozambique, are determining ways to reach out to people who are suffering these secondary effects of the flooding. UMCOR is also developing plans to assist those who must rebuild their homes. Please give generously to the Churchwide Appeal for Flood Recovery in Mozambique and Neighboring Countries, Advance #156500-0.

   As part of the ongoing response to those affected by the super cyclone that hit the Indian state of Orissa last October, UMCOR has sent a grant of $100,000 which will provide relief materials, temporary shelter, dry rations and basic medical facilities. Your gifts to UMCOR's International Disaster Response, Advance #982450-8 are urgently needed for this and other response efforts.

Gifts may be made through local United Methodist churches, or by calling 1-800-554-8583. Credit card donations are accepted. (Read more about how you can help UMCOR's emergency responses.)

    Please pray for all who suffer from natural and human-made disasters, hunger, and poverty.