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UMCOR plans projects for Turkey earthquake victims
NEW YORK (UMNS) -- The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is undertaking three new rehabilitation projects to assist earthquake victims in Turkey. Agency directors are expected to allot $900,000 for the Turkey projects, said UMCOR executive Wendy Whiteside on Jan. 5.
United Methodists have been working with Action by Churches Together (ACT) in the area around Izmit, the city at the epicenter of the Aug. 17 earthquake that killed more than 17,000 people. Lianna Vanoyan, a senior program officer in UMCOR's Washington office, said work is beginning to move from the emergency relief to rehabilitation phase.
An emergency mobile shelter project in the municipality of Adapazari is under way, according to Vanoyan. The program will provide 192 winterized housing units, serving about 960 people.
The second project involves renovation of the Karamursel School for the Deaf, a government-supported school in Yalova Province. The school's population includes 80 students, ages 7 to 18. "We're also equipping the school and doing a disaster preparedness program," Vanoyan said.
A social rehabilitation project, based in Golcuk, will assist about 1,200 women and 360 children and youth. Four centers for women and three centers for children and youth will provide counseling, training, vocational support, recreational opportunities and other services.
Financial contributions to UMCOR's work in Turkey can be designated to UMCOR Advance # 675205-6 and dropped in church collection plates or mailed directly to 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Credit-card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583.
Jan. 6, 2000