NEWS FROM
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
December 21, 2005
For more information contact Emily Sollie at esollie@lwr.org or 410-230-2802.
In this news release:
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Lutheran World Relief Observes Tsunami Anniversary, Looks To The Future
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LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF OBSERVES TSUNAMI ANNIVERSARY,
LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
[One-year report now available online at www.waveofgiving.org]
Baltimore, December 21, 2005 — On December 26, 2004, the world experienced an unprecedented natural disaster. As the one-year anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami approaches, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) solemnly remembers all those who died, and also celebrates the progress that has been made this year in the long-term recovery and rebuilding effort.
“When I visited the region this fall, I was pleased at what I saw,” said LWR president Kathryn Wolford. “Families moving into permanent, earthquake-resistant homes. Small businesses, many of them owned by women, thriving. Men were fishing. Children were laughing and playing. It was clear that, though there is a long way to go, especially in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, the process of recovery is well underway.”
We thank our supporters – Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and numerous individuals and churches – for their generosity in the wake of the tsunami. With an unprecedented $20 million, our tsunami recovery effort is fully funded.
LWR’s comprehensive report on the first year of tsunami response is available as a downloadable PDF file at www.waveofgiving.org. Here are just a few highlights of the work that LWR has done this year to help tsunami survivors begin to rebuild their lives.
Working through the global aid alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, LWR and our partner organizations responded quickly and efficiently, saving lives in the immediate aftermath by providing food, water and medical care. Thanks to the quick response, there was no second disaster of disease or hunger.
LWR and partners soon moved into the intermediate recovery phase, building temporary shelters and working to help people re-establish their livelihoods. We distributed fishing boats among groups of four or five families, carefully assessing who had owned boats prior to the tsunami. We distributed fish vending kits to help women get back to work selling fish. In Indonesia, we established revolving loan funds to help people revive their small business or jumpstart new enterprises like food vending, sewing, gardening, and carpentry. We established food-for-work programs that help people earn a living while remaining in their communities and helping with the rebuilding effort.
The tsunami was a particularly traumatic event, and much of our work has focused on psychosocial programs, helping both children and adults deal with the grief and stress caused by the tsunami. One such program, Fun and Educational Activities in Tents (FEAT), includes art classes, storytelling, singing and dancing, and puzzles and sports activities, and provides a safe place for children ages 6-12 to play and receive counseling.
Recovery from a disaster of the tsunami’s magnitude is not without its challenges. Rebuilding permanent homes, in particular, has been one of the biggest challenges of the tsunami response for all the agencies involved. Relief agencies had to wait until governments finalized land allocation policies before building could start, and determining land ownership has been difficult since most people lost all their legal documents – if they had any to begin with – when the tsunami hit. LWR uses these challenges as an opportunity – an opportunity to spend time with each community, carefully considering their needs and listening to their input before building houses, and ensuring that women are included on the housing deed, not just men, so that they have legal claim to the home should anything happen to their husband.
As we look ahead to the next year and beyond, we are excited about the opportunities for helping people continue on the long road of recovery. We are establishing new partnerships and planning new projects, knowing that our long-term commitment sets us apart and truly makes a difference to those we serve.
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.
