HOTLINE - week of July 03, 2006

As violence continues in the Darfur region of western Sudan, CWS is assisting partners in addressing the needs of uprooted families. Since June 2004, more than 470,000 people have received assistance through the Action by Churches Together-Caritas coalition, of which CWS is a part.

This year CWS has helped to provide water cans, cooking utensils, mosquito nets, blankets, and sleeping mats for people displaced by violence in Darfur. In addition, 32 borehole wells have been drilled and two repaired, four shallow wells dug and two rehabilitated, and 13 new hand pumps installed. Chlorinated water-bladder systems are also providing safe water in the camps.

Also, through coalition efforts, some 51 school and pit latrines have been constructed, and insecticide spraying to control vector-spread disease is benefiting 18,000 households in the town of Zalengei. In addition, primary health care clinics are seeing more than 21,000 patients per month, and counseling services are being provided.

Twelve nutrition teams are operating in South and West Darfur. Some 18,000 farmers received seeds and training, and some 16,000 students have received school materials. Four schools have been weatherized.

CWS assistance is also helping to provide training in peace-building, conflict resolution, human rights, and protection issues.

Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Frist have added their names to the "Million Voices for Darfur Campaign" postcard. The postcard is part of the CWS-supported Save Darfur campaign, urging President Bush to advocate for a UN Peacekeeping force to protect the people of Darfur.

Your support is needed.

The onset of early monsoon rains across northern Pakistan is causing concern for the many families who have returned to villages devastated by the October 8 earthquake that hit parts of Pakistan and Kashmir. Rain-soaked mountainsides are posing an increased risk for landslides.

CWS continues to help families in remote villages or those remaining in tent camps, and is helping to restore livelihoods, livestock, water, and sanitation, and providing primary and rehabilitative healthcare. Some 180 newly-trained tradespeople have graduated from CWS-supported training centers and are helping their communities to rebuild.

The CWS psychosocial team recently reached an agreement with a Red Cross vocational training center in northern Pakistan to provide services for women attending courses there.

Many towns and cities from Virginia to Vermont have been inundated this past week with heavy rains and flooding. For example, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, some 200,000 residents were ordered to evacuate their homes. Pennsylvania officials are calling the disaster "the worst flooding in 50 years."

CWS is seeking funds to provide seed grants for long-term recovery groups addressing unmet needs of vulnerable people.

Emergency Clean-up Buckets are urgently needed by CWS. For information on contents of the buckets and where to send them, visit the CWS Kits page.

Thirty women, ages 16-30, are learning basic tailoring skills and earning a modest income in a CWS-supported vocational training program. CWS partner, YWCA of Sierra Leone is providing a clean training and working environment, use of sewing machines, and 20 hours per week of work time for each of the women.

The program participants earn an income by sewing school and work uniforms, aprons, children’s clothing, etc., that are then provided on contract by the YWCA to other groups and organizations.

With their new-found skills, the women hope to be able to provide for themselves and their children, and improve the quality of their lives.

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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