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Lutheran World Relief Joins Expanded Global Aid Alliance
Baltimore, March 24, 2010 —
Lutheran World Relief has joined the ACT Alliance, one of the world's largest humanitarian bodies, which officially launches March 24.
With more than 100 members globally, ACT Alliance works in 125 countries with a combined operating budget of approximately $1.5 billion. The new alliance of churches and church-based humanitarian groups combines and builds on the former ACT International and its longtime disaster relief and rehabilitation focus, and the former ACT Development and its sustainable development focus. In addition, ACT Alliance will also be involved in advocacy work. Lutheran World Relief was a member of the former ACT International since its establishment in 1995 and was also a member of ACT Development.
“Lutheran World Relief is excited to be a part of the ACT Alliance,” says president John Nunes. “By working with and through our ACT partners, LWR is able to extend its reach and work more quickly and efficiently to respond to human suffering.”
Alliance members retain their individual identities while continuing to work collaboratively. In the wake of the Haiti earthquake, for example, LWR was able to respond quickly to needs by collaborating with ACT members already working on the ground to provide food, water, shelter items and other essential aid to earthquake survivors.
The creation of an alliance of church-based organizations means ACT's humanitarian and development work will reach every corner of the globe, said ACT Alliance General Secretary John Nduna, because churches and church-based groups are already making "an impact on the lives of the poorest in societies around the world."
"The membership of the ACT Alliance is wide," he said. "We find ACT members in every part of the world. ACT members are grounded in local civil society of all parts of the world. Almost everywhere we have churches, we have ACT."
The coordinating offices of ACT Alliance are in Geneva, Switzerland. ACT Alliance coordinates its global responses through the ACT Coordinating Office, which is based in the Ecumenical Centre, also in Geneva, where it is registered as a legal entity.
As of March, the current US members of ACT Alliance are Church World Service, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, International Orthodox Christian Charities, Lutheran World Relief and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. For more information on the ACT alliance, visit www.actalliance.org. For more information on Lutheran World Relief, visit www.lwr.org.
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.
