NEWS FROM
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
September 13, 2005
For more information contact Emily Sollie at esollie@lwr.org or 410-230-2802.
In this news release:
- Lutheran World Relief Celebrates Week for Peace in Colombia
- Lutheran World Relief Responding to Emergencies Worldwide through ACT
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LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF CELEBRATES WEEK FOR PEACE IN COLOMBIA
Baltimore, September 13, 2005 — Lutheran World Relief joins our brothers and sisters in Colombia to celebrate Semana Por La Paz, the week for peace, September 11-18, with a national day of reflection and action for peace on September 15.
Forty years of war and the impoverishment, violence and hopelessness it has inflicted upon the nation of Colombia has led many people to support a new vision for peace. Communities throughout Colombia have said “no” to the violence of war, and “yes” to celebrating the peace that is held today and the peace that is yet to come. Semana Por La Paz is our chance to join in that celebration.
Since 1987, Semana Por La Paz has been celebrated annually in churches, communities and individual households throughout Colombia, with art, music, prayer, advocacy and conversation about the many representations of peace in daily life, and shared visions for peace for the nation of Colombia and the world.
This week our Colombian brothers and sisters invite us to join them in dedicating ourselves to reflection and action that promotes peace in Colombia, in our own lives, and throughout the world. Organizations, churches and others supporting the work for peace in Colombia have chosen Thursday, September 15 as the national day to join together for reflection and action for peace in Colombia.
Throughout the U.S., advocates for peace will join together, praying for peace in Colombia, calling their senators and representatives to encourage them to support policies that promote peace, and celebrating Colombia in their churches and communities. Lutheran World Relief will follow up these efforts with congressional visits, sharing more information on the various ways that communities are coming together for peace, and most importantly, how this work for peace can be supported by the U.S. Congress.
Lutheran World Relief, through its Give Peace a Place campaign, works in partnership with Colombian churches, humanitarian and human rights organizations, and faithful U.S. advocates to achieve a place to live for Colombia’s three million internally displaced persons; a place at the negotiating table for those victimized by war; and a place in U.S. Policy for policies that protect civilians, promote sustainable development, and peace agreements that include truth, justice and reparations.
“This is a way that we can celebrate and honor all expressions of peace in the world – through art, music, poetry, community,” said LWR president Kathryn Wolford. “By coming together with our neighbors here in the U.S. to celebrate peace, the message of hope and support that we send to our neighbors in Colombia is profound.”
For more information about Semana Por La Paz and ideas for how to participate, please visit our website at www.lwr.org/colombia.
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES WORLDWIDE THROUGH ACT
Baltimore, September 13, 2005 — As a member of Action By Churches Together (ACT) International, Lutheran World Relief is able to respond to emergencies around the world, even in countries where LWR does not have its own staff or partners. ACT, a global coalition of churches and faith-based humanitarian agencies, coordinates disaster response and funnels donations from member agencies to the agency actually doing work on the ground. These are a few of the recent emergencies that LWR has been able to respond to through ACT.
Flooding in Honduras: In June 2005, heavy rainfall in Western Honduras caused severe flooding of the Ulua, Santiago and Chinda Rivers. Fourteen communities were affected, and 155 families suffered serious damage to their houses, crops and part of the infrastructure, including the retaining walls of the Ulua River and water wells. The families were evacuated to the homes of neighbors, friends and family members and to temporary shelters in non-affected locations.
The families affected by the flooding lost their principle means of livelihood such as crops and animals, as well as belongings such as beds, clothing and household goods. Some homes were damaged by accumulated mud, garbage and rubble while other homes, made of non-resistant materials such as a combination of mud and sticks, collapsed. Furthermore, as the sources of water are located in flooded areas and are damaged and contaminated, there are serious sanitation consequences in the communities.
ACT members are supporting the affected population by providing food and non food relief items, agriculture inputs, rehabilitation of wells and latrines and disaster preparedness training.
Food Security in Ethiopia: The deteriorating food situation in Ethiopia has put 8-10 million people at risk of malnutrition. Severe drought conditions, a late start to the Ethiopian government’s National Productive Safety Net Program, intended to provide multi-year support to chronically food-insecure people, and inadequate resources to provide food and non-food assistance, have combined to create an alarming situation.
While The Productive Safety Net Program is an important step, continued response to emergency conditions is critical to ensure the success of more development oriented programs. The program, which was meant to begin in January 2005, did not start until March in most areas of the country. Many people targeted under the program have yet to receive the planned assistance and are now facing deteriorating health conditions. Women and children are especially vulnerable.
The ACT response includes food, non-food, and financial support to address current food shortage for six months (September 2005-February 2006).
Food insecurity in Zambia: Maize production in Zambia for the 2004/05 season is below the 2003/04 levels because of prolonged dry spells. The chronic nature of food deprivation is illustrated by the high levels of stunting (47% of children under age five) and undernourishment (45-50% of the population), which have remained static for the past decade. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Zambia has exacerbated the situation, leading to increased malnutrition levels. The epidemic has also left many orphans. But despite this bleak scenario, there is unquestionable potential for the country’s agricultural sector, given the available land and water resources, the sparsely populated rural areas and the possibility of implementing new farming practices.
The ACT intervention addresses food insecurity at the household level, with activities geared to get families back into production in order to secure their livelihood and self dependency, and to improve their nutritional status.
Thanks to the generosity of donors who make undesignated gifts to LWR, we are able to respond quickly and efficiently when emergencies arise. Though Honduras, Ethiopia, and Zambia may not be in the headlines, these emergencies are just as real as the more high-profile ones, and LWR is thankful to be able to respond to them through the ACT network.
WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
