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GBGM > UMCOR > UMCOR News > UMCOR News 2005
United Methodist Tsunami Response Exceeds $32 Million
Long-term Aid Slated for Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Somalia
by Linda BeherPosted: April 13, 2005 STAMFORD, CONN., April 12, 2005: United Methodists contributed $32.4 million to their denomination's emergency fund that is providing relief and rehabilitation in the wake of devastating South Asia tsunamis late last year. The tally is as of the end of March, Roland Fernandes, general treasurer of the General Board of Global Ministries, told directors of the agency, meeting here. It is the largest amount ever received by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) following a disaster. UMCOR, the humanitarian unit of the global mission organization, detailed a $19.2 million long-term development package for Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Projects are also underway in India and Somalia. The UMCOR board approved the proposals on April 12 at its semi-annual meeting. The agency had already released emergency aid to the areas stricken by the Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake and tsunami. "UMCOR gives thanks to God for the outpouring of care and concern offered by United Methodists in response to the incomprehensible loss and destruction caused by the tsunami in South Asia," said Bishop Edward W. Paup, president of the humanitarian agency's board of directors. The bishop indicated that the board actions represent a snapshot of plans unfolding three months after the multi-centered, major disaster. UMCOR officials said they will travel to India and Indonesia later this month to meet with local partners. Additional projects will emerge from those conversations, they said. UMCOR's response in Indonesia will involve four segments. With its partner the Methodist Church in Indonesia, UMCOR has identified some 1,000 families in Sumatra Province to receive initial benefits. First year expenditures of $5 million will provide new homes, safe water and sanitation facilities, and income generation opportunities. In addition, the agency has joined longtime partner Church World Service (CWS) in a strategic alliance for recovery projects through 2008. UMCOR will also support CWS nutritional programs, vaccinations and other health services, and trauma counseling. UMCOR's share in the collaborations will be $3 million. A fourth UMCOR partner in Indonesia is the International Blue Crescent (IBC). The two will build permanent and temporary housing in Lamno and Aceh provinces of Sumatra. IBC is a Muslim organization that worked with UMCOR several years ago in rebuilding of homes and schools in Turkey. After the 2003 Bam, Iran, earthquake IBC acted as UMCOR's chief implementer and provided a strategic interfaith witness on behalf of United Methodists. The investment for this segment of the Indonesia program is $1.2 million. In Sri Lanka, UMCOR will invest about $8 million. In collaboration with the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka UMCOR will build houses for 1,000 families and provide fresh water and income generation programs for another 1,000. The shelter program will employ both skilled and unskilled workers. On the east coast, some 16 villages have already organized fishing societies using an UMCOR grant. For the first time, said David Sadoo, UMCOR emergency services staff member on the ground in Sri Lanka since early February, women will lead some of these societies. "The church's presence in a disaster of this magnitude really makes a difference in breaking open constraints" such as women assuming leadership roles, he said. "We have all had to be more creative than usual because of the extraordinary scope of the disaster." In both Indonesia and Sri Lanka, portions of the grants will support psychological health projects. In India UMCOR has partnered with Churches Auxiliary for Social Action and Christian Medical Society of India (CASA) to operate mobile health clinics. To support continued operations of CASA the UMCOR board approved a $320,000 grant, to be delivered in equal installments over the next four years. UMCOR officials also plan to explore additional aid that CASA identifies on a longer term horizon of two to four years. The Methodist Church of India and UMCOR are in talks now to assess income generation projects in Madras and the Andaman Islands. UMCOR also issued an emergency grant to assist Burmese refugees living in an area of Thailand devastated by the tsunami. The tsunami also affected the coastal region of Somalia. UMCOR's long-time partner there, Center for Education and Development, has identified 2,750 destitute families whose breadwinners died or were injured in the catastrophe. Food rations, plastic sheeting, and fishing equipment are all part of the Somalia grant. UMCOR officials say they expect to be in the Indian Ocean region for years to come. "The blessing for UMCOR is the absence of time constraints on delivering a long-term program of aid and development in South Asia," said the Rev. Kristin Sachen, head of UMCOR's emergency services. She noted that the operating rules established by many other relief agencies compel them to spend all funds within a predetermined timeframe. "For that reason UMCOR has the added grace to stay until the job is done," she said. "We can cover the gaps other agencies may miss because of their speed." _______________ Linda Beher is communications director for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. |
 Men and women work together to clear the beach of debris left by the tsunami. On the east coast of Sri Lanka, some 16 villages have already organized fishing societies using a grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief. For the first time, said David Sadoo, UMCOR emergency services staff member working in Sri Lanka since February, women will lead some of these societies. Credit: David Sadoo/UMCOR, April 6, 2005. How to Participate in This ResponsePlease give to Advance #274305 and designate "South Asia Emergency" on the memo line of your check written to UMCOR. Give through your local United Methodist church or mail contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call 1-800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation. One hundred percent of every donation to this appeal goes to support relief and recovery efforts in the disaster-stricken regions. UMCOR also needs donations of health kits, school kits, and Medicine Boxes for this response. A Medicine Box® contains enough over the counter and prescription medicines to treat 1,000 people for about three months. Congregations can assemble the over-the-counter drugs and contribute $350 for the remainder, or donate $425 per Medicine Box. Interchurch Medical Association assembles and ships the boxes for UMCOR. Requirements are online. Health Kits focus on personal hygiene as a method of improving overall health. They contain soap-- the number one barrier to the spread of bacterial disease-- washcloth, sterile bandage strips, and other items. Requirements are online. School kits contain ruled paper, blunt scissors, an eraser, a ruler, six pencils, a pencil sharpener, crayons and construction paper. Requirements are online. See Also
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