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Lutheran Disaster Response

Syria: A View Inside a Jordanian Host Community

Fleeing the conflict in Syria, Abir, 5, and his family found shelter in a cement factory in the north Jordanian town of Al Toura. Credit: ACT/Magnus Aronson

One of the major areas of the ELCA’s Disaster Response program is working with international companions and partners to meet the needs of refugees. As people are driven by hunger, disaster or violence to leave their homes and enter into neighboring countries, we work to be there, to help meet their immediate humanitarian needs as well as walk with them in the journey to re-establish themselves. In communicating about this good work it is easy to keep the focus on the needs of the refugees and look past the gifts given and potential strains on host communities.

A recent Lutheran World Federation article about the current situation regarding Syrian refugees flowing into Jordan (below) reminds us that not all refugees end up in refugee camps and that even when they do the communities who host them are altered, sometimes overnight. Take a look at the article and also remember that as we pray for those who must take on the life of a refugee we also remember those communities into which they come.

Read the full article: Welcomed into Homes, Garages and Local Town Hall
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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Renewed Fighting Leads to Growing Refugee Population

People displaced by fighting in Goma wait for assistance. Credit: Tarik Tinazay/DKH-ACT

In the Democratic Republic of Congo fighting has intensified, as the major city of Goma (pop. 700,000) was seized by rebel fighters. Caught in the middle are the hundreds of thousands of residents in the city. Lutheran church leaders around the globe are appealing to both sides for safe access for humanitarian aid agencies into the country and city. The situation has led thousands of residents to flee their homes to camps within the country as well as those across the borders in neighboring Rwanda and Uganda.

The ELCA, working through our membership in the Lutheran World Federation is helping to respond by providing water resources in the only settlement where recent Congolese refugees are arriving in Uganda. The Lutheran World Federation/Department of World Services programs in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are preparing to help people who have been displaced in the conflict. Helping supplement this work is staff from the Nairobi-based Regional Emergency Hub, set in place to help respond quickly and efficiently to disaster needs in East Africa. They will be assisting with assessments and support during the scaling-up of humanitarian efforts. The ELCA has been a major contributor to the establishment of these hubs.

In the coming days and weeks, a growing concern is the availability of clean water for affected populations. The worry is the potential for a serious outbreak of disease due to the unsanitary conditions. As things develop the ELCA and Lutheran World Federation will continue to focus on livelihoods, water, sanitation and hygiene related activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the refugee camps in neighboring Uganda.

As we enter into this season of Thanksgiving please raise a prayer for those affected by violence and potentially empty plates and cups in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and the many places around the world who do not have peace on this day.

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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Nigeria: Heavy Floods & Continued Fighting

Map of flooding across West Africa Sahel Region. Credit: OCHA

Africa’s most heavily populated country has been spent much of 2012 responding to disasters. Earlier this year the country was affected by drought which spread throughout much of West Africa. Heavy rains in August/September have led to flooding throughout the country, with 24 of the 32 states severely affected and over 7 million people affected. In the midst of these natural disasters, the year has seen increased fighting between the militant group Boko Haram and the Nigerian militaryy. This has led to fear among many, particularly Christians in the northern part of the country who have been targeted by the group.

The ELCA has been in communications with our companions in the region, the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria, as to the best ways to respond. Please keep the people of Nigeria and our brothers and sisters of the Lutheran church there in prayer that Christ may bring them peace and security in the midst of destruction and fear.

To lean more about the affects of flooding on Nigeria and region you can check out these resources:

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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond locally and globally in times of need. Donate now.

South Sudan: Trial and Error and then…Smiles

Children filling up the school grounds as they eagerly await the start of classes. Credit: LWF/South Sudan

This past year the Lutheran World Federation set up three Emergency Hubs in areas prone to disasters. Their intent was to preposition staffing and resources in areas of the world prone to disaster. One of these hubs was set up in Nairobi to help address the needs of East Africa. When violence began to break out in South Sudan in areas like Juba, Blue Nile and Jonglei the LWF was able to help respond quickly from this hub. Yet, as is the case with disasters there are always unforeseen circumstances and situations.

Below is a great story from Mairo Retief, the Emergency Hub Team Leader in East Africa, on his experiences in Maban as they worked to meet the growing needs of South Sudanese displaced by violence, especially unaccompanied minors. It shares the trials that come with working with the multiple moving parts of pulling together a disaster response and also the immense joy that comes along with seeing the difference made.

LWF in Maban has all been worth it!

You can also learn about the LWF-run schools in their report: It’s Crowded but Learning Has Started under Tents in Upper Nile.

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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Hurricane Sandy: The Art of Giving & Receiving Thanks

On the way to work this morning I heard a really great report on NPR about the ways people are supporting the response on the East Coast to Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy. It was discussing how in-kind, material gifts are handled and how they affect the process. The overall point of the report was that even though in-kind, material donations are a great sign of the amazing giving nature of people in this country they may effect relief efforts in unintended ways.

One of the main reasons for this is that without knowing the specific needs of those affected by disaster in-kind gifts like water, food and clothing may not end up being needed but will still have to be sorted, processed and stored. Running the risk of taking away energies from other relief efforts. Also, many of the organizations who are carrying out the relief and eventual recovery efforts are also able to acquire better deals for needed items because of bulk purchasing and special agreements with vendors. In the end the article lifts up that financial contributions, though seemingly less tangible, actually are the most useful type of support.

The report also had a short piece at the end about a woman who was looking for a way to say thank you to the National Guardsmen who had helped her after she found out her home was destroyed. When she asked what she could do to thank them, they said nothing, that they were happy to help. So she decided to share the gift of homemade baked goods as a way of expressing thanks. This highlighted for me an important point for those who choose to give of their time by volunteering after a disaster.

As we help those affected by disaster, part of responding to the whole person is giving them the space and ways to give thanks. This is not to say we are to demand, nor even to expect, expressions of thanks, but that by giving someone the space to give thanks when they request it is actually allowing them a way to feel a part of their own recovery. For many the gift of being able to give proper thanks will mean as much to them in their recovery process as the fixed roof over their head, new clothing and/or restored power. I think it is one of the deepest and most difficult ways we are called by Christ to be neighbor.

Please take time to read/listen to the report and to think about how we can all best support the efforts on the East Coast and following future disasters. Want To Help Sandy Victims? Send Cash, Not Clothes (NPR, November 16, 2012)

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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond domestically and internationally in times of need. Donate now.

Hurricane Sandy: The Strength of a Network

We often speak about our domestic disaster response work being done through a network of affiliates. The following is a great example of what this looks like in practice.

Lutheran Family and Children’s Services (LCFS) of Missouri, a Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) affiliate, was not directly affected by Hurricane Sandy. Yet because of the strength of the LDR network which includes our membership in coalitions like, Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN), a member of their disaster response team has been able to help in the response. The data manager for LFCS’s Disaster Case Management Program, Don Emge, was asked by the national staff at CAN to help with development and case manager training.

Using his experience from working in Missouri, which has been affected by a series of disasters including the tornado in Joplin last May, Don is working with the Red Cross and FEMA to mobilize efforts after Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy. He is helping to initiate new case management programs up and refining training procedures so that as many as a hundred new case managers can be up and running. He is also keeping an eye on making sure the work they set up now can easily transition into the long-term recovery efforts.

So in a short while Don’s two week deployment will come to an end and he will return to Missouri to again engage in his good work there. Yet, the effects of his time will be felt, though perhaps not recognized, for years to come. And so the body of Christ works, through the relationships of a network, going when the call is raised, and working in quiet ways to bring hope and healing.

We thank Don and all those countless others who are a part of this network, through your actions, financial support and prayers. May God continue to bless this work.

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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond domestically and internationally in times of need. Donate now.