HOTLINE - week of December 11, 2006

Rescue and relief efforts continue in the central Philippines and southern Vietnam in the wake of Typhoon Durian, which killed several hundred people and caused millions of dollars in damage to predominately rural areas.

In the Philippines, Durian came ashore just under a category-5 storm, damaging or destroying nearly 250,000 homes.

The most severely hit province is Albay. Durian caused a devastating mudflow that came down the slopes of Mt. Mayon, burying several villages, says CWS partner Christian Aid. Marinduque and Mindoro provinces have also suffered extensive damage.

CWS is supporting the efforts of Action by Churches Together members, including Christian Aid and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), which are providing relief and short-term rehabilitation assistance for the affected communities.

In Vietnam, more than 120,000 homes were damaged or destroyed and nearly 700 fishing vessels lost.

CWS plans to work closely with authorities in Ben Tre and Long An provinces, and focus on assessing damage to housing, community clinics, and schools, says CWS Vietnam Director Joanne Fairley, with special attention being paid to water supply systems and latrines.

Large numbers of returnees are either settling or migrating through Juba, south Sudan, following the 21-year civil war, which was settled through a peace agreement in 2005.

The infrastructure of the area, particularly two underserved regions around the municipalities of Munuki and Kator, is either non-existent or deteriorated. There is an increase of waterborne illnesses and health care services are being stretched beyond capacity. Schools are able to handle less than half of the school age children.

CWS is helping to support Churches Ecumenical Action in Sudan, a consortium of three international organizations and two Sudanese church councils, which is planning to provide assistance for some 66,000 residents, internally displaced persons, and returnees living in Munuki and Kator. Assistance includes rehabilitating four health clinics and five primary schools, constructing ten borehole wells, and 25 compost latrines. In addition, village health committees and pump mechanics will learn how to maintain the new constructions.

More on CWS response in Sudan.

Partner churches and community groups are being assisted by CWS in responding to families affected by the mid-November tornado in the town of Riegelwood. A focus of their efforts is providing temporary housing for people whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

In addition, a case management committee, which includes trained social workers, is being organized to identify unmet needs of families. And, a warehouse is being set up to store reconstruction materials being supplied for repair and rebuilding.

In the last two months, CWS has responded to a number of emergencies in the U.S. that will require the attention of CWS-supported long-term recovery organizations over the next year. Affected states include New York, Texas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Alabama, Hawaii, and Washington.

Afro-Brazilians face racial and religious discrimination and are being victimized by land speculators. In urban areas, CWS partner KOINONIA (Ecumenical Presence and Service) is working with communities organized around the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé, also called Macumba in some regions. In rural areas, its work is with Quilombo settlement, whose inhabitants are direct descendants of slaves who are struggling to maintain their traditional lands and culture. The programs are expected to reach some 20,000 people, helping them to address rights issues that affect them.

KOINONIA is also working to eliminate the stigma and discrimination against people affected by HIV/AIDS through educational awareness activities.

In the interior states of Bahia, Pernambuco, and Paraiba, rural youth are learning how to combat discrimination, gain access to land and government agricultural programs, and avoid drugs, with help from CWS-supported KOINONIA. KOINONIA is also helping small-scale farmers and rural workers to develop a democratic culture, and defend their rights when they are caught in the violence between police and drug dealers.

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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