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Lutheran Disaster Response

Update: Hurricane Matthew – Haiti


Be a part of the response:

Pray

Join us in prayer and partnership, and to help spread the word in your congregation. You can find additional resources for worship here.

Give

We invite you to stand by all the communities impacted by past hurricanes and hurricanes to come. Your gifts to Hurricane Relief ensure that our church will be able to provide help and hope for those affected by this disaster for years to come.

Additional Ways to Give

Checks or money orders can be sent to:
Lutheran Disaster Response
P.O. Box 1809
Merrifield, VA 22116-8009

Write Hurricane Response on your check memo line.
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Give by phone at 800-638-3522

Connect

To learn more and Stay connected to the latest events and our response to this and other disasters:

  • Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.
  • Follow us on Twitter.
  • Visit our website at LDR.org
  • Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts

 

For a printable version of this graphic and others like it, click here to visit the Lutheran Disaster Response resource page. 

 

Re-Post: ELCA presiding bishop issues pastoral statement on humanitarian situation in Syria

ELCA presiding bishop issues pastoral statement on humanitarian situation in Syria

4/14/2018 2:10:00 PM

“Give God no rest” (Isaiah 62:6-7) until that day when “the wolf and the lamb shall feed together. … They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord” (Isaiah 65:25) (ELCA social statement, “For Peace in God’s World”).

In recent days we have witnessed, with additional horror, further atrocities in Syria in a conflict that has taken almost countless lives over the past seven years and displaced millions of Syrians and others.

Following the April 13 air strikes conducted by the armed forces of the United States, the United Kingdom and France, the president and the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation issued a statement that I encourage ELCA members to read and prayerfully consider.

Our church is responding to the needs of Syrian refugees and displaced people through the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), in coordination with ACT Alliance (formerly Action by Churches Together). The IOCC has been assisting those in need in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan to ensure food security, establish shelter, and provide better access to water and sanitation facilities, among other activities. LWF-Jordan is working with Syrian refugees and host communities in Amman, Mafraq, Irbid and in the Zaatari refugee camp, bolstering livelihoods through cash transfers and skills training in agriculture practices and improved technologies for vegetable production in home gardens to benefit malnourished children, pregnant and lactating women, and sick people. They are also providing psychosocial support, particularly among women. We plan to continue and intensify this work.

In the face of this ongoing humanitarian crisis, our nation also needs to open its arms again to receive Syrian refugees for resettlement in the United States. We will continue to work in ecumenical partnership as we pray, advocate and work to receive refugees.

Last, but not least, our government, as part of the international community, needs to redouble its efforts to work diligently for a diplomatic resolution of this conflict. As U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said earlier this weekend, “There is no military solution to the crisis.  The solution must be political.”

 

In Christ,

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America


Be a part of the response:

Pray

Please pray for all those affected by the refugee crisis. Remember those who have lost everything and all those who are working to respond. You can use these prayers and resources in your worship services.

Give

Your gifts are needed now to help with immediate relief. Gifts designated for the Middle East and Europe Refugee Crisis will be used in full (100 percent) to assist those directly impacted and have fled for safety.

Connect

To learn more about this situation and other LDR response:

  • Find resources to inform your congregation and encourage support.
  • Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
  • Stay up on the latest ELCA news.
  • Like us on Facebook!

Mexico Earthquake: Norma’s Story

In September of 2017, a series of earthquakes struck Mexico. Norma Lozada was outside of her home in the Morales province preparing food to sell for the day when suddenly, she felt the quakes. Norma, and her family found safety; However, when they returned to their home, they found it severely damaged and unsafe to live in.

Three months after the disaster, Norma received a tarp with frames from Amextra as a temporary shelter for her family. The tarp, unfortunately, did not provide enough warmth for her grandchildren at night so they used the tarp to store the items they salvaged from their old home. Meanwhile, the local government handed out funds to help families repair or reconstruct their houses. Norma’s sister received a modest amount, but it is not enough to build a house for nine people.

With Norma’s own money and through LDR’s partnership with Amextra, Norma is getting a new home for her and her family. The house will be built in their backyard, next to their old house. Norma has purchased supplies and hired a carpenter. Also, an architect has been brought in to design the house based on the needs of the family and the specification of an earthquake-resistant home. The house may take months to finish, as Norma will rely mostly on volunteer labor, but never the less, she and her family are excited. “It is truly amazing to finally have a place I can call my own,” She said.

Lutheran Disaster Response and Amextra will continue to accompany people like Norma, to help bring hope and healing to communities impacted by disaster.  Through our partnership we are walking with the people of the Morales province by providing funds to help local businesses re-open, building temporary and permanent housing for women-lead households, the elderly and other vulnerable groups, and facilitating post-traumatic stress management workshop for children and adults.


Be a part of the response:

Pray

Continue to pray for all those impacted by the earthquakes, fires,mudslides, floods and hurricanes. May God’s healing presence comfort them in their time of need.

Give

Thanks to generous, undesignated donations, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to respond quickly and effectively to disasters around the globe, including the many earthquakes in Mexico. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used where there is the greatest need.

Connect

To learn more about global migration and what Lutheran Disaster Response is doing:

  • Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.
  • Follow us on Twitter.
  • Visit our website at LDR.org
  • Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts

 

Situation Report: Lake Chad Conflict


Be a part of the response:

Pray

Continue to pray for all those impacted by conflict and other human-caused disasters.

Give

Thanks to generous, undesignated donations, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to respond quickly and effectively to disasters around the globe, including the Lake Chad conflict. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used where there is the greatest need.

Connect

To learn more about global migration and what Lutheran Disaster Response is doing:

  • Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.
  • Follow us on Twitter.
  • Visit our website at LDR.org
  • Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts

Situation Report: Papua New Guinea Earthquakes


Be a part of the response:

Pray

Continue to pray for all those impacted by earthquakes and other disasters

Give

Thanks to generous, undesignated donations, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to respond quickly and effectively to disasters around the globe, including the earthquakes in Papua New Guinea. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used where there is the greatest need.

Connect

To learn more about global migration and what Lutheran Disaster Response is doing:

  • Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.
  • Follow us on Twitter.
  • Visit our website at LDR.org
  • Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts

2017 Peru Flooding

In March 2017, extremely heavy rains caused devastating problems in Peru’s northern regions, particularly Piura, Chiclayo, and Trujillo. Downtown areas of several cities, including Piura, and Trujillo have been underwater for days.

The phenomenon, named “Coastal El Niño” came after a period of severe drought, was attributed to unusually high temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, and was considered an expression of the growing challenges of climate change.

El Niño is a periodical event characterized by higher than average ocean temperatures in the equatorial tropical Pacific. A more localized version is the “coastal El Niño,” it brings unusually warm ocean waters which fuels heavy rains across the country.

The March 2017 flood ruptured river banks, created mudslides, collapsed bridges, closed roads mostly in the north of the country, impacting communities that were already vulnerable.

Poverty is one of the main problems in the country as a whole. A third of the Peruvian population lives below the national poverty line. This adds up to about 8 million people.

Poverty, deficient nutrition, and a lack of even the most basic medical care are the reality for a large percentage of Northern Peru population; almost half the children in the region suffer from chronic malnutrition.

Thousands of houses in communities living in poverty were severely damaged or completely destroyed. Damage was worse in the cities of Piura and Trujillo where rising floodwaters reached the central square.

The Lutheran Church in Peru (IL-P) decided to play a role in the recovery phase of the emergency, The response had two stages:

Phase I: Following the catastrophe, in the last weeks of March and the first weeks of April 2017, IL-P organized communities and groups provided immediate relief spontaneously, by delivering, clothing, footwear, and non-perishable food by the limited economic possibilities and resources of IL-P members.

Phase II: In a more organized and strategic way, in the year of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, the emergency response was extended Trujillo, Chiclayo, and Piura. Pastor President of IL-P Rev. Pedro Bullon visited the affected communities several times to accompany them, praying, giving consolation and empathy; and encouraging affected families to be an active part of the recovery phase.

IL-P Council decided to work jointly with all the churches of Lutheran identity, regardless of the different traditions or origin. In 2017 Lutheran Global communion commemorated the 500 anniversary of the Reformation. IL-P believed that the best way to commemorate the anniversary, was to continue to rebuild homes, jointly with other churches. The decision to share resources with other congregations was the first a step in the process of transformation. A long chain of solidarity and sharing of resources start at that moment.

In a partnership between Lutheran Disaster Response and IL-P, emergency assistance was shared in the form of construction materials such as adobes, roofing sheets, battens, Portland cement, sand, gravel, stone,  and other supplies. The goal of the project was to address some of the extreme housing needs of vulnerable individuals and families in the three localities (Piura, Chiclayo, Trujillo) by providing materials for families to self repair damaged homes.


This post was written by Gustavo Driau, Regional Representative for Southern South America for ELCA Global Mission.


Be a part of the response:

Pray

Continue to pray for all those impacted by floods and other disasters.

Give

Thanks to generous, undesignated donations, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to respond quickly and effectively to disasters around the globe, including the flooding in Peru. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used where there is the greatest need.

Connect

To learn more about global migration and what Lutheran Disaster Response is doing:

  • Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.
  • Follow us on Twitter.
  • Visit our website at LDR.org
  • Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts