A new situation report from the Lutheran World Federation give an overview of the political and humanitarian situation affecting the Sahel region of West Africa that is current being affected by drought. The country of Mali is also experience internal conflict, leading to a growing refugee situation alongside the food crisis. This report looks mainly at Mauritania, Mali and Senegal as well as the actions of the LWF in the region.

You can read the report here.

For more information on the situation please visit the ELCA Disaster Response webpage West Africa Sahel Drought Relief. Here you can also find a situation report and bulletin insert to help share the story.

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Written by two members of Australian Lutheran World Service on a visit to South Sudan, “Coming Home” is a collection of stories around the work of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) as it extends back many years in this newly formed country. It is not meant to be systematic or exhaustive and in this way it is actually quite an easy, and extremely interesting, read.

In these pages you will meet indiviudal South Sudanese citizens and hear their stories. What are the major issues that have affected them? How have LWF projects like boreholes and schools been received? What are the benefits of these programs? Who owns them? How have other LWF projects, like Kakuma refugee camp, played a role in the lives of these citizens of the new South Sudan?

If you find any of these questions intriguing than I would recommend give this resource a good look.

Download and read Coming home. (pdf)

Twelve million people across five West African countries teeter on the brink of famine. Drought, crop failure, inadequate recovery from previous crises, and rising food prices have propelled the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Niger to declare states of emergency and call for international assistance.

This is the opening paragraph to an ACT Alliance story from Feb 20th. The story is an interview with Paul Valentin, director of Christian Aid, who was in Burkina Faso. Over all it is an solid piece, giving an overview of the growing crisis in the region and for this reason alone it is worth a listen.

Beyond this though, Paul has some important things towards the middle of the interview of the connection between response and media portrayal of need. Boiled down it’s a look at how we must learn better how to communicate need before pictures of starving people and animals are on the news. This is the heart of disaster risk reduction and prevention, a growing component of ELCA Disaster Response work.

The interview is just over 16 minutes long and I would highly recommend giving it a listen.

Listen to ACT eyewitness account in Sahel.

Monday night Cyclone Giovanna made landfall on the east coast of Madagascar with winds upwards of 120 mph. Over the next two days it dumped up to one foot of rain, with the hardest hit area being just east of Madagascar’s capitol, Antananarivo. The storm led to 19 deaths, nearly 11,000 people displaced and almost 5,000 damaged or destroyed homes. In the hard-hit district of Brickaville 88% of the schools were damaged. The storm moved past the island country on Thursday but there are fears it may double back and hit the southern part of the country.

Madagascar is home to one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world, the Malagasy Lutheran Church, with a population around 3 million members. As this church and the remainder of the country start the work of recovery and rebuilding please keep them in prayer, that God may calm the waters and winds and bring them peace.

To learn how the ELCA accompanies the Malagasy Lutheran Church see the Global Mission page on Madagascar

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Violence continues to plague the new country of South Sudan as tribal cattle raids have become more frequent and intensified. As the situation unfolds, the Lutheran World Federation is building on its strong presence country to bring aid to those in need. One of the many services is looking towards ways to build sustainable and lasting peace for the people of the region. Towards this end they are working with the Church of Sweden to bring in workers to provide psychosocial support for traumatized individuals.

It is a great example of how international organizations are finding greater opportunities to work together through umbrella organizations like the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance. The ELCA is a proud member of both.

To learn more of how these two are working together and to learn how and what their peace-building and psychosocial services are, read the LWF newsletter: Helping People Heal

To better grasp the full extent of the LWF’s work in South Sudan see their webpage: South Sudan

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

Driving home from work yesterday I was listening to National Public Radio and heard a report on the situation developing in the Jonglei state of South Sudan. It was an informative piece describing the deteriorating situation with tribal clashes between the Lou Nuer and Murle tribes. Unfortunately, there was no mention of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). It was a nice reminder of how this blog can help share how the ELCA and our partners are engaged in disaster response work around the world. For in Jonglei, the LWF is very active and has been on the forefront of the response.

I invite you read the third update from Arie Den Toom, LWF South Sudan Representative, on how the situation and response are developing: South Sudan – 3rd Sitrep on the conflict in Jonglei State

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