HOTLINE - week of September 11, 2006

On this fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, DC, we pray for peace and understanding among the peoples of the Earth.

CWS's Seminars for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) trainings were born in the aftermath of the 9/11 disaster. The seminars are now being used to help caregivers and survivors of war and disaster in other parts of the world address and overcome the trauma they've experienced.

On the outskirts of the town of Nyala, Dereig camp is a temporary home for more than 20,000 people who have been displaced by the ongoing violence in the Darfur region of western Sudan. They have been attacked, have lost family members, and had their homes destroyed. A CWS partner-run community center inside the camp is enabling people to help each other to overcome their traumatic experiences.

"People are suffering. The whole community is suffering; we are all internally displaced," Amina says. She and her extended family came to Dereig in 2004, after their village was attacked. A mother of four, Amina works as a volunteer at the camp's community center. She is responsible for opening the center, tidying up, arranging the equipment, registering participants, and supervising activities.

"The most positive thing about the center is that it brings people together. People can talk to each other and forget their suffering and the difficulties they have gone through. Some have been attacked; some have seen their villages burned and lost loved ones," Amina says.

Elizabeth Cornelio, or "Mama Eliza," as everyone calls her, runs the center. She has been trained in trauma counseling by CWS coalition partner ACT-Caritas. To encourage people to come to the center, Cornelio makes personal visits around the camp.

It isn't enough to just talk, she says. "You have to give people something to do, so that through the activity they can forget what happened,” says Cornelio.

The community center offers activities such as weaving grass mats, sewing, making tablecloths, and making pasta. The men are involved in the heavier work--building beds, for example. These livelihood activities allow people to earn money to buy essential items for themselves.

The center also offers training in recognizing and dealing with trauma. "Most of the women have trauma, and yet they do not know how to recognize it in others or even in their children," Cornelio says. With this training, people learn how to help each other.

ACT-Caritas runs community centers in 11 camps.

CWS is supporting the work of coalition partners in Darfur, as they provide for the basic needs of uprooted families in the region.

Contributions to support humanitarian efforts in Darfur, Sudan, may be made by calling (800) 297-1516, or visiting www.churchworldservice.org.

Many families returning to their homes following the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah are finding their villages or neighborhoods destroyed. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees reports that roughly 15,000 houses were completely destroyed, while another 15,000 were partially damaged. Another serious problem for returnees is unexploded ordnance--often inside homes. Other pressing problems include water and electricity shortages.

CWS continues to support partners in the region, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC).

As part of these efforts, CWS has provided 800 cartons of donated canned turkey donated by Mennonite Central Committee, valued at $33,600; 40 cartons of Interchurch Medical Assistance medicine boxes--containing 16 essential medicines and medical supplies—valued at $166,584; 1,770 CWS Blankets, 19,035 CWS Health Kits, 10,030 CWS School Kits, and seven pallets of five-gallon jugs of water.

Your continued support for emergency and recovery efforts in Lebanon is urgently needed.

"This is flooding unlike that which has been seen in years," reports CWS emergency response staffer Tom Davis, of the situation in parts of New Mexico.

The remnants of Hurricane John, a Pacific storm that came ashore over Mexico’s Baja peninsula, affected areas in Texas and New Mexico, areas that have already seen heavy rainfall over the past month.

CWS is assessing needs and supporting long-term recovery efforts in the flood-affected areas.

CWS provided an initial 500 CWS Health Kits and 500 lightweight blankets for distribution in both El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, where some 40 colonias, with around 5,000 families, have been affected by the flooding. An additional 1,300 CWS Health Kits and 1,000 lightweight blankets were shipped this past week to the area.

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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