HOTLINE - week of June 19, 2006

Catherine Nduku and her extended family--nine children and her grandmother--recently benefited from a distribution of maize, coordinated by Church World Service and its local partner, the Africa Brotherhood Church, for families in Makueni District. Five of Nduku's children belonged to her brother, who died in 2004 from AIDS. Though rains have returned to parts of Kenya, the food crisis is not over. The maize is helping families to make it through to their next harvest.

Cowpea, cassava, and sweet potato seed were also distributed as alternatives to maize, both to increase nutrition and as more durable crops.

CWS will distribute more food and seed in July. Nduku hopes to ration the maize as long as she can, until her cowpeas begin to sprout. With new crops, she hopes to increase her children's nutrition and perhaps supplement the family's income. For that she thanks CWS and the church for their help.

CWS is the lead agency for a consortium of church-related organizations providing drought assistance in Kenya. For more on CWS assistance in Kenya, visit the Newsroom.

A grant to CWS from Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, in South Bend, Indiana, is laying the foundation for hurricane recovery among the Native Americans of the United Houma Nation in the Louisiana bayous. The grant will be used to purchase building materials to repair or rebuild houses destroyed or severely damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Rev. James Miller, senior pastor of Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, says that the gift is the "first commitment in what members of this congregation hope will be a significant and long-term friendship."

CWS is also providing a seed grant to support the work of the Hispanic Apostolate of the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, which is providing assistance to day laborers who travel to the area to work in clean-up and rebuilding efforts.

CWS provided emergency supplies immediately following the hurricanes and continues to support long-term recovery.

Visit our online donation page to support ongoing efforts on Gulf Hurricanes recovery.

CWS continues to assist people affected by the October 2005 earthquake in northern Pakistan. CWS is working to assist the survivors of the earthquake in reconstruction of homes, restoring livelihoods, recovery of livestock, water and sanitation, health assistance, and psychosocial support activities.

A CWS psychosocial team recently sponsored a drawing competition for children in Beliyani village. The children, attending school in a large tent, drew pictures mostly of destroyed houses and schools, a reflection of the impact the earthquake has left on their minds. Though most of the subject matter reflected sad situations, the CWS team felt that some happiness was brought back into the lives of the children who participated.

For more information on CWS response, visit CWS Pakistan Earthquake Response.

CWS relief and recovery efforts continue in the wake of the May 27 earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java. Particularly hard hit were the city of Yogyakarta and Bantul District. The Mount Merapi Volcano, just north of Yogyakarta, continues to spew lava and hot ash, causing additional evacuations of families from its slopes. CWS has provided assistance to thousands of households--distributing water and jerry cans, food (including items such as biscuits, instant noodles, canned fish, vegetable oil, sugar, and green beans), CWS Health and Baby Kits, CWS Blankets, and family tents.

A CWS psychosocial team is providing counseling, and has erected a children's center tent in Sindet hamlet, where activities for children are taking place. Also, CWS has begun construction in seven locations for what will be more than 1,100 semi-permanent latrines.

For more information on CWS quake response in Indonesia and how you can help, visit CWS Indonesian Earthquake Response.

World Refugee Day is June 20. CWS resettles about 8,000 refugees and entrants in the U.S. each year, and also helps meet the needs of people in protracted refugee situations and refugees returning home. For example, in the Darfur region of western Sudan CWS is working in partnership to provide food, medicines, water, and other assistance for families and communities uprooted by violence.

CWS is among the many sponsors of observances commemorating World Refugee Day this year. For more information, and to access a bulletin insert and worship resource on World Refugee Day, visit the Immigration and Refugees section.

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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