HOTLINE - week of May 29, 2006

The death toll from the May 27 earthquake in central Java, Indonesia, has risen to more than 5,400. Thousands more are injured, tens of thousands are homeless, and thousands of homes are damaged or destroyed, many of them in and near the ancient city of Yogyakarta.

With local staff throughout Indonesia, CWS responded on Saturday with bottled water and CWS Blankets to Bethesda Hospital, in Yogyakarta, which is receiving many of the injured. CWS has also distributed water, food rations, Health Kits, blankets, and tents to households in six sub-districts of Bantul: Kretek, Parangtritis, Tambang Dipuro, Pundong, Jetis, and Imogiri. Eleven tons of CWS emergency supplies will arrive later this week for distribution in quake-affected areas.

CWS is also working in coordination with partners to help meet needs in affected parts of Klaten and Boyolali. CWS partner Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU) has been evacuating injured children to Tegalyoso hospital in Klaten and conducting assessments in Klaten, while partner Yayasan Tanggul Bancana (YTB) is helping to coordinate distribution of food and medicine.

The quake has intensified activity at the nearby Mount Merapi volcano, which erupted this past week, and avalanches can be seen extending 2-1/2 miles down the side of the mountain. The volcano threatens the safety of hundreds of nearby residents and has caused the evacuation of more than 5,000 people. CWS is distributing CWS "Gift of the Heart" Health Kits and CWS Blankets to people displaced by the volcano's activity.

More information will be shared as it becomes available. Contributions to assist with recovery efforts in Indonesia are needed. Please give through your local church or directly to Church World Service, POB 968, Elkhart, IN 46515, 800-297-1516. You can also make a donation online.

Needs stemming from the May 27 Indonesia earthquake, the earthquake in Southern Asia in October 2005, and the hurricanes that affected the U.S. in the summer of 2005 are prompting CWS to urgently ask for help in replenishing supplies of CWS "Gift of the Heart" Health, Baby, and School Kits, and CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets. For information about contents of the Kits and where to send them, call your regional office at 1-888-297-2767, or visit www.churchworldservice.org.

More than 168 items are available for online bidding via the CWS Children of the World Benefit Auction, from June 1-25. Proceeds will help CWS support programs that benefit the health and welfare of children and their families.

To find out more about the auction and view the items available for bid--from jewelry, autographed pictures, and books, to trips--visit the online auction page.

Some 170 girls, ages six and up, in Carrefour-Feuilles and La Saline are learning to read and write, and taking part in other skills development classes--such as sewing and embroidery, handicraft skills, and dance--with the help of CWS and our partner the Ecumenical Committee for Peace and Justice (COPJ).

The children, domestic workers who live with families other than their own, often live in poor conditions and experience prejudice. Members of the host families meet with COPJ staff every two to three months to review the children's progress.

The children are also receiving school materials and participating in courses on human rights and conflict resolution.

This past week, CWS Executive Director Rev. John L. McCullough has been visiting CWS-supported rural programs in the Dominican Republic. Included are food security, health, and education, as well as a community-based children’s project in Boca Chica that focuses on prevention of sexual abuse and exploitation of children and youth.

The Boca Chica project is run by CWS partner Caminante. CWS has been the primary supporter of Caminante’s decade of work defending the rights of childhood and youth.

While in the Dominican Republic, McCullough was also speaking at the general assembly of long-time partner Social Service of the Dominican Churches.

Tensions and sporadic violence continue in East Timor, particularly in the capital city Dili, where rioting broke out in late April. The region has a long history of conflict. In 1999, most of the country's economic infrastructure was destroyed during an intense war for independence from Indonesia. Many families have fled their homes in fear of the escalating violence.

CWS is providing cooking oil, iodized salt, detergent, and bath soap for some 465 internally displaced families (about 2,000 people) from the Susteran Canosa region who are sheltering at a convent in Canosa.

Though signs of recovery are visible following the October 2005 earthquake, many quake survivors worry about rebuilding their lives. Some homesteads have been totally destroyed. And roads to many areas in the mountains remain barely passable. The upcoming monsoon season will make returning even more challenging. Families in 18 villages have been evacuated because of a threat of mudslides in their areas. It is feared that thousands of families will remain displaced and have to stay in camps through the next winter.

The devastating effects of the earthquake will take years to address, says Marvin Parvez, CWS Pakistan-Afghanistan Country Director, and he hopes the international community continues to provide assistance to families struggling to recover from the disaster.

In quake-damaged areas of Pakistan, CWS is helping to restore livelihoods, provide basic healthcare, recover livestock, supply water and sanitation, and support psychological recovery.

To help support recovery efforts in Pakistan, please visit our online donation page.

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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