HOTLINE - week of November 07, 2005

The Church World Service tent village in earthquake-stricken Pakistan now has a functioning mosque; a source of clean drinking water; latrines; and an out-patient medical facility. New relief parcels, including health kits, kitchen sets, and utensils are being distributed in the camp, located in the village of Bisyan, near Balakot, in North West Frontier Province.

CWS is also preparing to open a separate cooking area for the growing number of families--averaging eight children and adults--housed in the camp.

Scores of patients already have been treated at the CWS camp clinic, which is supported by a larger hospital run by the Diocese of Peshawar. With eight latrines already in service at the tent village, CWS plans to open 42 more over the next few days.

The CWS psychosocial team is using Eid al-Fitr, the celebration that ends the month of Ramadan, to help bring a sense of normalcy and festivity to still vulnerable families. Gifts and sweets are being distributed as part of the holiday celebrations. The team also has produced a series of radio spots, airing in Pakistan this week and next, aimed at reassuring people about their own inner resilience and ability to cope.

So far, CWS has distributed shelter kits to serve 27,167 individuals. The Pakistan Humanitarian Forum, chaired by CWS, reports that many people have asked for tin sheets so that they can construct family shelters based on their individual needs. Some people still are reluctant to come down from the hills to tent villages for fear of having their livestock or the remains of their homes looted in their absence.

More than 20,685 individuals in the areas of Battagram, Shangla, and Balakot are benefiting from CWS large-scale food packages.

Another 100 tents were airdropped into a village in Balakot on October 30, but the combined total of tents expected to be delivered by the end of November may still fall some 100,000 to 200,000 tents short of the number needed. CWS staffers also are concerned that government helicopters might be grounded because of lack of funds.

Support for these quake recovery efforts is urgently needed.

CWS continues to assist families affected by recent hurricanes along the Gulf Coast--and in Florida.

Roy Winter, Church of the Brethren, reports, "When Hurricane Katrina hit, the Brethren Disaster Relief auction committee decided to have an auction to help assemble 'Gift of the Heart' Health Kits. Then, as Rita approached, they decided to make even more," he writes. "So, they purchased supplies for 25,000 kits. With over 200 volunteers involved, the kits were assembled, boxed, and put on trucks ready to head to New Windsor in about two-and-a-half hours. It was really amazing to see."

CWS has provided more than $1.8 million in assistance for families affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Recent shipments to Mississippi and Louisiana have included CWS "Gift of the Heart" Emergency Clean-up Kits, as many Hurricane Katrina-affected people are now able to get into their homes and begin the long clean-up and recovery process.

In Texas, CWS hurricane assistance includes a recent shipment of "Gift of the Heart" Health, School, and Baby Kits to Boat People SOS for needs of Vietnamese families affected by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina in the Houston area.

Hurricane Wilma-affected families in Immokalee, Florida, have received 560 CWS Blankets through the Guadalupe Center.

Support for Gulf Coast hurricane recovery needs is urgently needed.

Heavy rains throughout much of October resulted in 14 deaths and unprecedented flooding throughout New England. In New Hampshire, the worst flooding in 25 years wreaked havoc in Cheshire County, destroying 107 homes and badly damaging another 250 in the towns of Alstead and Keene. More than half of the destroyed homes were uninsured. CWS is seeking funds to assist the faith community in providing long-term recovery assistance to those affected.

This year, 400 women in Keur Momar Sarr, northern Senegal, are working to overcome poverty with the help of CWS and our local partner the Senegalese Association for Research, Study, and Aid for Development (ASREAD).

Chronically poor rainfall in the region causes food insecurity for people who have depended on agriculture for their livelihoods. Through ASREAD's Women's Literacy and Livelihood Program, the women are gaining access to other income-generating opportunities through literacy classes and building skills in organization, business management, and economic record keeping. The women, who are caregivers and represent about 2,000 family members, are each receiving a $100 grant for their businesses, to be managed through a local revolving credit institution.

CWS is supporting this program through a continuing grant from the Presbyterian Hunger Program.

Your prayers and support - and your participation in CROP WALKS and the TOOLS & BLANKETS Program - make possible these and other life sustaining programs. For information on how to get involved, please call your Church World Service/CROP Regional Office toll-free at 1-888-CWS-CROP, that's 1-888-297-2767.

For information about free loan videos, please call 1-800-297-1516, ext. 338, or e-mail us at: videos@churchworldservice.org.

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