June 12, 1998

Thank you for calling the United Methodist Committee on Relief Hotline, Friday, June 12, 1998.

UMCOR is implementing an emergency management training program at Africa University in Zimbabwe, in conjunction with ACT (Action by Churches Together). Thirty participants from 18 countries will receive training in emergency response for both natural and human-made disasters, such as civil conflict. One of the goals of the program is to develop local leadership so that emergency response efforts will be determined and implemented by Africans. The first training session begins this month. You can support this program by giving to Advance #101230-0, Disaster Response Training Program/Africa.

An ecumenical organization in Houston, including United Methodists, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Baptists and others has raised money to purchase 3 million pounds of rice for North Korea. They are working through UMCOR to purchase the rice in Asia and ship it to North Korea. In addition, churches in the Texas Conference are bagging a 250 ton local donation of rice into 10 pound bags destined for individual North Korean families. After the rice is bagged it will be sent to the UMCOR Depot in Baldwin, Louisiana for shipment to North Korea. You may join in these efforts by contributing to UMCOR's North Korea Emergency, #226435.

Please remember those who suffer from hunger, poverty, disasters, and war in your prayers.