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India: Cyclone Hudhud relief and long-term recovery

Pictured: Damage from Cyclone Hudhud, a storm with 109 mph winds that hit eastern India in October. Photo credit: Lutheran World Service India Trust.

Pictured: Damage from Cyclone Hudhud, a storm with 109 mph winds that hit eastern India in October. Photo credit: Lutheran World Service India Trust.

From Oct. 7 – 14, 2014, Cyclone Hudhud caused extensive damage to India and claimed lives. With 109 mph winds, the cyclone affected 320 villages in India. More than 41,530 homes and 40,000 electric poles were damaged, while more than 1,800 cattle were reported dead and about 205,000 hectares of crop land were destroyed.

Working with Lutheran World Service India Trust (LWSIT), Lutheran Disaster Response has provided $80,000 to assist in the continued relief and long-term livelihood recovery for 1,000 families in Wisakhapatnum and Srikakulam districts of Andhra Pradesh as they address their immediate needs and begin the process of rebuilding.

Relief assistance will be in the forms of food, non-food items, such as tarpaulin sheets for damaged homes, and water and hygiene materials. Long-term recovery will focus on agricultural livelihood restoration and will include rice seed distribution to share croppers so that they will be able to resume planting once the current season is over. We will also assist 300 women supplement their food supply by providing vegetable seeds to them so they are able to grow food at home and meet nutritional needs for their children.

Lutheran Disaster Response will also work with LWSIT to assist 100 families whose homes were hit hardest by providing materials for them to rebuild.

“Cyclones are an unfortunate regular occurrence, especially in eastern India. Between the furies of some of these cyclones, the affect they have on large swaths of populations and their livelihoods, and the impact on people living in poverty, disasters are an ongoing companion to millions of people in India,” says Franklin Ishida, ELCA Global Mission area program director for Asia and Pacific.  “In recent years, the Indian government has done much to mitigate the effect of
such disasters. But the destructive forces of a cyclone like Hudhud are at times unimaginable. The ELCA is blessed to have a companion in India, Lutheran World Service India Trust, who is able to work with those affected by Hudhud and through whom critical relief needs are met.”

Lutheran Disaster Response is committed to working with our trusted partner, LWSIT to walk with our brothers and sisters who were impacted by Hudhud. We pray for their recovery and for their continued safety in living in an area prone to natural disasters. If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in India, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response giving page.

Iraq: Advent stories of peace and love

Megan Brandsrud

​Advent: Peace

Gorgya Paols receives a LWF food voucher that provides her a carton of food that will last a month

Gorgya Paols receives a food voucher that provides her a carton of food that will last for one month.

Gorgya Paols, 63, has only one wish in this season of wishes – peace in her home country, Iraq. Having already fled Baghdad in 2005 after being persecuted for being Christian, Gorgya is tired of running.

“I love my country so much,” she says. “I don’t want to leave. It makes me sad and I hope the people who have left might one day be able to come back to live together peacefully, happily. Every day, someone is leaving and I must say goodbye.”

Gorgya is currently living in a small home with her husband and her son’s family of five.

Advent: Love

Five year old Vian Shara stands in the crowd at an LWF distribution of food in Northern Iraq with her father Saeed Shara

Five-year-old Vian Shara stands in the crowd at a distribution of food in Northern Iraq with her father, Saeed Shara.

Saeed Shara and his wife and their three children were forced to flee their home due to the recent conflict in Iraq. They didn’t have much time and they weren’t able to carry much, so the only belongings they took with them were whatever they could grab. Once they arrived in an area of safety, Shara’s family was welcomed by strangers who opened their unoccupied home to let them and three other families occupy it.

In addition to the stress of leaving their home, Shara and his family are concerned about the disruption in their children’s education and the health of one of their daughters, Vian, who suffers from kidney failure.

 

Lutheran Disaster Response is working with the Lutheran World Federation to provide food assistance to both Gorgya Paols’ and Saeed Shara’s families while they face this time of uncertainty in their country and their homes. We are committed to walking with our brothers and sisters in Iraq, and we pray for their safety and well-being.

Gracious God,

As we celebrate the birth of your son, we bring to you the refugees from Iraq. Give them today their daily bread. Shelter them from the cold, from aggression, violence and mistrust. Keep a candle of hope burning in their hearts, and grant them peace – peace in their country, but also peace of mind. Be with all the people who assist them, the host communities and the aid workers. Grant them strength, open eyes and open hearts, to be able to respond to spoken and unspoken needs. Let them keep the faith, even if the situation may seem overwhelming. Be with all the people who have lost their homes because of violence. Teach us to be compassionate and welcoming, to the glory of your name. Let us be a voice for those who are not heard and advocate for justice on their behalf. Grant us understanding and peace. Amen.

Photos and prayer are courtesy of the Lutheran World Federation.

Iraq: Advent stories of peace and love

​Advent: Peace

Gorgya Paols receives a food voucher that provides her a carton of food that will last for one month.

Gorgya Paols receives a food voucher that provides her a carton of food that will last for one month.

Gorgya Paols receives a food voucher that provides her a carton of food that will last for one month.

Gorgya Paols, 63, has only one wish in this season of wishes – peace in her home country, Iraq. Having already fled Baghdad in 2005 after being persecuted for being Christian, Gorgya is tired of running.

“I love my country so much,” she says. “I don’t want to leave. It makes me sad and I hope the people who have left might one day be able to come back to live together peacefully, happily. Every day, someone is leaving and I must say goodbye.” Gorgya is currently living in a small home with her husband and her son’s family of five.

Advent: Love

Five-year-old Vian Shara stands in the crowd at a distribution of food in Northern Iraq with her father, Saeed Shara.

Five-year-old Vian Shara stands in the crowd at a distribution of food in Northern Iraq with her father, Saeed Shara.

Saeed Shara and his wife and their three children were forced to flee their home due to the recent conflict in Iraq. They didn’t have much time and they weren’t able to carry much, so the only belongings they took with them were whatever they could grab. Once they arrived in an area of safety, Shara’s family was welcomed by strangers who opened their unoccupied home to let them and three other families occupy it.In addition to the stress of leaving their home, Shara and his family are concerned about the disruption in their children’s education and the health of one of their daughters, Vian, who suffers from kidney failure.

Lutheran Disaster Response is working with the Lutheran World Federation to provide food assistance to both Gorgya Paols’ and Saeed Shara’s families while they face this time of uncertainty in their country and their homes. We are committed to walking with our brothers and sisters in Iraq, and we pray for their safety and well-being.

Gracious God,

As we celebrate the birth of your son, we bring to you the refugees from Iraq. Give them today their daily bread. Shelter them from the cold, from aggression, violence and mistrust. Keep a candle of hope burning in their hearts, and grant them peace – peace in their country, but also peace of mind. Be with all the people who assist them, the host communities and the aid workers. Grant them strength, open eyes and open hearts, to be able to respond to spoken and unspoken needs. Let them keep the faith, even if the situation may seem overwhelming. Be with all the people who have lost their homes because of violence. Teach us to be compassionate and welcoming, to the glory of your name. Let us be a voice for those who are not heard and advocate for justice on their behalf. Grant us understanding and peace. Amen.

Photos and prayer are courtesy of the Lutheran World Federation.

Central America: Drought causes concerns for food security and livelihoods

Megan Brandsrud

​

Bernardo Anastasio Hernández, a cattle farmer, stands on the dry river bed of the Río Grande at San Francisco Libre. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America. Across Nicaragua hundreds of cattle are dying, wells are drying up and the harvests have failed.

Bernardo Anastasio Hernández, a cattle farmer, stands on the dry river bed of the Río Grande at San Francisco Libre. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America. Across Nicaragua hundreds of cattle are dying, wells are drying up and the harvests have failed.

(Pictured: Bernardo Anastasio Hernández, a cattle farmer, stands on the dry river bed of the Río Grande at San Francisco Libre in Nicaragua. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America, where hundreds of cattle are dying, wells are drying up and the harvests have failed. Credit: ACT Alliance/Sean Hawkey)

Cattle have died and crops have been completely diminished in a drought across Central America that is recorded as the region’s worst dry period in the last 30 years. The drought has impacted more than 2.5 million people across the region. Three countries that are feeling deep impacts of this drought include El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, where crops are either completely depleted or prices for grains have increased so significantly that many families cannot afford to purchase them. The drought is causing concerns for food security and livelihoods.

Lutheran Disaster Response, working with Lutheran World Federation, is assisting in early recovery and livelihood restoration through the installation of family gardens, farm plots, micro-irrigation systems and training workshops.

Family gardens: Family garden plots will be installed to assist 450 families in El Salvador, 100 families in Honduras and 200 families in Nicaragua. The garden plots will be used in areas where yield is ensured so families have access to food without having to worry about high costs.

Farm plots: In Honduras and Nicaragua, farm plots will be implemented in areas for corn and bean production. Short-cycle (native) varieties will be used to ensure yield during the short rainy season without having to worry about long-term water shortage difficulties.

Micro-irrigation systems: Water supply systems will be established to support family gardens and farm plots in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. A total of 120 micro-irrigation systems will be installed in priority areas.

Training workshops: In order to establish the projects listed above, training workshops will be provided to ensure the success of the family gardens, farm plots and water management systems.

We will continue to walk with and pray for our brothers and sisters in Central America as they work through the difficulties caused by the drought. If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in Central America, please visit theLutheran Disaster Response giving page.

Central America: Drought causes concerns for food security and livelihoods

Bernardo Anastasio Hernández, a cattle farmer, stands on the dry river bed of the Río Grande at San Francisco Libre. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America. Across Nicaragua hundreds of cattle are dying, wells are drying up and the harvests have failed.

Bernardo Anastasio Hernández, a cattle farmer, stands on the dry river bed of the Río Grande at San Francisco Libre. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America. Across Nicaragua hundreds of cattle are dying, wells are drying up and the harvests have failed.

Cattle have died and crops have been completely diminished in a drought across Central America that is recorded as the region’s worst dry period in the last 30 years. The drought has impacted more than 2.5 million people across the region. Three countries that are feeling deep impacts of this drought include El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, where crops are either completely depleted or prices for grains have increased so significantly that many families cannot afford to purchase them. The drought is causing concerns for food security and livelihoods.

Lutheran Disaster Response, working with Lutheran World Federation, is assisting in early recovery and livelihood restoration through the installation of family gardens, farm plots, micro-irrigation systems and training workshops.

Family gardens: Family garden plots will be installed to assist 450 families in El Salvador, 100 families in Honduras and 200 families in Nicaragua. The garden plots will be used in areas where yield is ensured so families have access to food without having to worry about high costs.

Farm plots: In Honduras and Nicaragua, farm plots will be implemented in areas for corn and bean production. Short-cycle (native) varieties will be used to ensure yield during the short rainy season without having to worry about long-term water shortage difficulties.

Micro-irrigation systems: Water supply systems will be established to support family gardens and farm plots in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. A total of 120 micro-irrigation systems will be installed in priority areas.

Training workshops: In order to establish the projects listed above, training workshops will be provided to ensure the success of the family gardens, farm plots and water management systems.

We will continue to walk with and pray for our brothers and sisters in Central America as they work through the difficulties caused by the drought. If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in Central America, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response giving page.

Unaccompanied and Migrant Children: DC Metro Synod visits companions in El Salvador

Megan Brandsrud

​OurWork_Disaster_UnaccompaniedMigrantChildren

While news of children and families migrating to the U.S. from Central America may have slipped from national headlines, Lutheran Disaster Response is still at work providing education on the situation and assisting our partners and affiliates in caring for these refugees.

Through more visits to the border and a roundtable conference with our companion churches in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, we as a church are continuing to advocate and provide assistance to those who are running for safety and security.

Read the following article published in Fairfax Times to learn about how the D.C. Metro Synod in the U.S. is accompanying our brothers and sisters in El Salvador.

“The (migrant) children are coming”

By: Marion McInturff