Church World Service Raises Appeal to $5 Million
CWS announced Monday a $5 million public fundraising campaign for victims of the South Asia quake-tsunami disaster.
An international humanitarian agency supported by 36 U.S. denominations announced Monday a $5 million public fundraising campaign for victims of the South Asia quake-tsunami disaster. Of the initial $1 million aid shipment airlifted last week by New York-headquartered Church World Service (CWS), a first shipment of shelter kits arrived for distribution in Sri Lanka on Sunday.
"In the first two or three days following the disaster, we quickly surpassed a startup million dollar goal for contributions from our supporting denominations," said Rev. John L. McCullough Executive Director of CWS. "And that was without benefit of our national direct mail campaign, which is in the mail this week."
However, McCullough said much more is needed to support its tsunami recovery efforts in a region where the agency has longstanding presence providing self-help development, refugee assistance and emergency relief.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Additional airlifts are planned to provide much needed commodities for immediate needs and long-term recovery," McCullough said.
Immediately after the disaster struck CWS provided emergency rapid response grants to its partners in India and to the CWS office in Indonesia. CWS Emergency Response Program Director Rick Augsburger, scheduled to be in the devastated region this week, said CWS was positioned to respond quickly to the disaster.
"The agency has longstanding presence in Southern Asia, with offices in Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and Indonesia," Augsburger said. "With over 100 staff in our Indonesia office we responded immediately."
The agency is now establishing a regional emergency staging area to support its Southern Asia recovery efforts.
In Sri Lanka, CWS Pakistan’s Emergency Response Team is assisting its longstanding partner the National Council of Churches of Sri Lanka (NCCL) in distribution of shelter and other material assistance and to assess further emergency needs.
In Indonesia, hardest hit and with an estimated death toll to date of 94,000, a Church World Service team is now in the Sumatran province of Aceh completing its initial assessment and administering CWS relief.
For initial response to affected areas in Thailand, CWS has offered to provide Emergency Medical Boxes for a shipment that the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C. is facilitating from the United States. Augsburger said CWS has been active in Thailand for many years as a founding member of the Thai-Burmese Border Consortium in Bangkok.
According to CWS, the response will also focus on traumatized children
Maurice Bloem, CWS Indonesia Country Director, whose program has focused on trauma recovery in the politically challenged region, says "Children experienced an emotionally painful event in which they have lost a parent or both parents and were separated from siblings and significant others. They are in shock from the sudden fleeing from their homes and distressed by the overcrowding of camps (for the displaced).”
"We hope to provide much-needed psychosocial activities for 2,000 children who have been displaced by the disaster,” Bloem continued. “The program would focus on activities for children ages 6-12 in internally displaced camps in Aceh. This will be just one part of our ongoing relief and recovery program."
He noted, "Early intervention is critical to help children who have suffered trauma due to disaster." The proposed program will provide children with a gradual routine after the catastrophic events of the last week.
CWS, which is supported in part by 36 U.S. denominations, says it is committed to long-term recovery in South Asia.
"We see the emergency response phase itself lasting a significant period of time until basic needs are stabilized. It is already clear that long term recovery for those in affected areas will take many years,” said Augsburger.
"For now, in addition to getting food, medical supplies, shelter and aid delivered to people, we are beginning to plan long-term rehabilitation efforts,” he added. “We join with those millions in mourning their tragic losses. There is no way to lessen that pain."
According to McCullough, faith-based response in the U.S. is proving to be a major supporter for the quake-tsunami victims at this moment, and also in the long-term.
"The denominations have come forth with record support already," reports McCullough, who cited initial pledges from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR); International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC); Presbyterian Disaster Assistance; Episcopal Relief and Development; and the Church of the Brethren; United Church of Christ
(UCC); Disciples of Christ—Week of Compassion; and the Reformed Church of America (RCA).
Church World Service will also be pursuing possibilities with member communions for other joint fundraising opportunities and responses.
To assist CWS in meeting urgent needs throughout Southern Asia, Pakistan International Airlines and Singapore Airlines have agreed to provide gratis air lifts of material aid to Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
