HOTLINE - week of August 07, 2006

"We are afraid of what lies ahead over the next few days. We are afraid for the children of Lebanon," says a 73-year-old Lebanese woman of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. More than 450 civilians have been killed and about one-fourth of Lebanon's population--more than 900,000 people--is displaced from their homes because of the conflict, with some 128,000 sheltering in public schools and institutions.

CWS is shipping food and non-food items to partner the Middle East Council of Churches, which is delivering food, non-food relief items, water and sanitation, and psychosocial assistance and working in conjunction with the Action by Churches Together International network.

Partner International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is continuing its relief efforts to displaced families, delivering food and hygiene parcels to 892 families in the Maten and Aley areas, and reaching the more dangerous regions of the Chouf Mountains, about nine miles southeast of Beirut, during a 48-hour lull in fighting this past week.

The food parcels, which last a family about a month, contain milk powder, vegetable oil, canned fish, hummus, beans, pasta, rice, corn, jam, tea, and sugar. Hygiene parcels contain toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, tissue paper, toilet paper, shampoo, antiseptic cleaner, laundry soap, and sanitary items.

CWS is providing 5,000 CWS Health Kits, 500 collapsible water containers, and hundreds of blankets in support of the IOCC response.

CWS is seeking $1 million for humanitarian work in Lebanon.

As the eyes of the world focus on Lebanon, the situation in Gaza is equally critical. Shortages of food, electricity, and water are increasing, compounded by the escalating conflict in the region. Because most refrigerators are without electricity, food, medicines, and vaccines have also been destroyed. The hospitals that are without electricity are relying on generators, which require fuel that is in short supply due to the difficulty of getting supplies into Gaza.

CWS works with partners to address medical and other needs of families in Gaza and the West Bank. Support for emergency response efforts in Gaza is also urgently needed.

Food insecurity among pastoralists in several regions in Kenya remains critical in spite of the return of rains in many areas. Rates of malnutrition are unacceptably high in Moyale, Samburu, Turkana, Mandera, and Marsabit districts. There is also an increase in cases of diarrhea in these and other areas.

Milk availability is limited because of the loss of livestock herds or the inability of animals to lactate because of poor condition. Most drought-affected households have been forced to rely on relief food. Recovery for these families will require substantial rebuilding of herds, a process likely to take several good seasons, which is becoming increasingly rare.

One young woman in Mandera District is 15-year-old Maryan, who shyly shares her dreams for the future. "I wish to become a doctor," she says. Right now, though, Maryan is not even going to school. Her family lost all their livestock during the drought in Mandera District. And school fees are to be paid with goats.

Living with her grandmother in Ashabito division, she collects water in the dam.

"I used to study at least three times a day. Now I do nothing; there is actually nothing to do here. If I can't go back to school, there is no future for me," Maryan says. For the inhabitants in the border areas of Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, the rains that have come have been inadequate. And with hundreds of thousands of their animals dead, they all face an uncertain future.

CWS is the lead agency in a multi-agency response in Kenya, addressing food and water needs of the most affected communities, including food distribution, water tankering for domestic and livestock use, providing new water sources, including borehole drilling and repair, and providing drought-resistant seeds.

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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