UMCOR Directs Tsunami Funds to Chennai, Andaman

NEW YORK, October 11, 2005—United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Directors agreed yesterday to grant $505,893 to the Methodist Church of India in Chennai and Andaman Island to assist them in their community-wide tsunami recovery efforts. They are among the hardest-hit areas in India.

The churches there are providing programs that allow Christian and non-Christian community members to secure a future for themselves by providing shelter, education, and employment assistance.

“Every congregation was already involved in community service,” notes Paul Dirdak, UMCOR top executive. “They have been very wise in planning for the additional work of home reconstruction and leveraging their existing programs to serve more people.” Area churches have extended their work to help as many as possible through house reconstruction, classes, income generation projects, and other community services, however more support is needed for them reach their program goals.

Some churches are currently using their worship spaces to hold classes and community services during the week, but the space is not enough to meet local needs. A building has been identified in a slum area of Chennai to serve as a community center for vocational training to those who are unemployed, undereducated, and single women heads-of-households.

Another need was presented by five young women whose hopes of going to nursing school in Bangalore were washed away in the tides. They had been accepted to the school, and planned to go with financial support from their families. Now, their families are unable to support them and the young women are in need of scholarships to continue their education.

The UMCOR funds will support these programs and others, providing both encouragement and support to tsunami recovery efforts in these communities.