UMCOR's Partner MECC Delivers Relief Items to Iraq

By Guy Hovey, ACT field communicator

May 6, 2003

The threat of being hijacked along the highway to Baghdad is a concern shared by many people who travel this road. A Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) convoy faced this and other dangers as it traveled from Jordan to Iraq's capital this weekend to deliver much-needed relief items, which had been donated by members of Action by Churches Together (ACT). The convoy, made up of six trucks driven by local Iraqi drivers, was loaded with 250 winter tents, 19,200 cans of meat, 1,000 food packets made up of oil, tea, beans, sugar, rice and detergents, 6380 blankets, 2.2 tons of BP5 high protein biscuits and a 40 foot container of medicines.

MECC coordinator Edmond Adam said that the items are for a pre-positioned emergency stockpile, enough for 1,000 families in Baghdad and Mosul. He noted that "millions of families could be without adequate food in a couple of months." There is a real fear that current rations distributed to people by the old Iraqi regime under the oil-for-food program will run out mid-year, at which point people could start experiencing severe food shortages. "The outlook is bleak if people don't start earning salaries soon, enabling them to buy food," said Adam as he showed us the stockpile stored at the Old Ancient Church of the East.

Iraq appears to be heading for a classic 'cash famine,' as families are unable to buy available food due to a shortage of work, cash and rising prices. Already, a kilo of apples can cost a month's salary said Eszter Németh, regional coordinator for ACT. One problem is that government work places have been destroyed. "The coalition says that people should return to work but how can they when their places of work have been destroyed or looted? There's nothing to go back to," said Adam. Father Bashar of the Chaldean Church in Baghdad is worried that the lack of work to support families will lead to increased lawlessness as desperate families turn to crime to feed themselves.

As the temperature rises each day and people remember the extremely high temperatures of last summer, preparedness operations such as the MECC emergency stockpile will become more important. However, an aid worker in the city commented that "the funds we have are too meager for what lies ahead." There are also worries of possible outbreaks of disease, as already inadequate water supplies have been potentially contaminated by untreated sewerage from broken down treatment plants. Adam believes that water-born diseases could pose a threat this summer, "although reports from the north of the country say that current disease levels are not above the norm."

Eszter Németh advocates for flexible and rapid funding from ACT donors. "What is needed is the ability to be able to react immediately when a crisis is identified" she said. With the summer coming crises can develop rapidly and soon spin out of control. It is clear that a wait of weeks or even months for funding to arrive will mean a delay in response time, often with deadly consequences for the most vulnerable, children and the elderly.

Source: Action by Churches Together, http://www.act-intl.org.

Guy Hovey is the Head Of Mission for UMCOR/Bosnia and a credentialed correspondent for United Methodist News Service in the Middle East. He is seconded to ACT as part of UMCOR's support of the global church's response to the crisis in Iraq. Mr. Hovey has provided leadership for all the churches in the name of UMCOR, in a similar assignment in Afghanistan. UMCOR's professional expertise is an asset which we share with the greater church in our effort to be in global mission.

How to Help

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is one of Action by Churches Together's (ACT) partners in this humanitarian response. ACT is an ecumenical coalition that includes many groups, such as the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and Church World Service (CWS). One hundred percent of your tax-deductible gift to Advance #623225 "Iraq Emergency" will be used for this response. The generous giving of United Methodists to the One Great Hour of Sharing supplements the cost of Advance gifts. Give through a local United Methodist church or send financial contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call 1-800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation.