HOTLINE - week of April 21, 2008

"Receiving these layette kits showed Church World Service's love for the people of Liberia," said a mother in Bomi County, rural Liberia, during a recent distribution of CWS Baby Kits, Hygiene Kits, and Blankets. Including a shipment currently underway, in the past year Church World Service has provided more than $576,000 in material assistance for Liberian families still recovering from more than a decade of war and conflict. Supplies have also included seeds, a generator, and other basics.

Mothers with newborns, primary school children, the elderly, hospital patients, and those who are blind or disabled are among those benefitting from the shipments.

"The housing we build isn't just a house," said Brett Dillon, a green-building consultant and a key presenter at the CWS Domestic Disaster Ministry Forum in late March. "It goes beyond even providing hope, to provide concrete solutions to economic problems... breaking the cycle of poverty that has been generational for the first time simply because we built a better house."

Several key CWS projects feature essential elements of green building. For example, CWS joined Habitat for Humanity International in funding the prototype hurricane-proof "Lift House," which includes better insulation and energy-reducing design elements, in Terrebonne Parish, La. And, in Bosnia, CWS is helping war returnees construct homes out of ultra-efficient earthen blocks.

Dillon said one new U.S. homeowner recently called to thank him and boast of her energy savings. He said, "She was excited and told me her utility bill for the month of November was only $39." Dillon noted that the woman, a single mother of three, said she was able to use her $100-a-month savings to pay for courses that helped her land a job as a nurse.

"That's why we must look not just at replacing housing following a disaster but also building green," says CWS Associate Director for Domestic Response Bonnie Vollmering. "We can join partners to help rebuild destroyed houses but we have to make sure they're affordable to live in, too."

As Earth Day (April 22) approaches, Church World Service is assisting families to improve their lives with clean water and food security, while improving their environment.

In Nkongooro Parish, Ntungamo district, seasonal wells befouled by animal waste have been the main source of water. And, during the dry season, they dry up, forcing a 7-8 mile walk to get water.

This year, 350 of the most vulnerable families (about 3,534 people) are gaining year-round access to clean water and working to preserve the environment, with the help of Church World Service and partner the Church of Uganda.

Eight water sources (wells and springs) will be structurally protected from contamination and additional wells dug. The community is contributing labor and locally available resources like stones, sand, and clay. Families will have more clean water for household use, reducing the risk of waterborne disease. With the new, more accessible water sources, women and children will have more time to invest in studies and income-generating activities.

Families are also learning new agricultural and agro-forestry techniques, and each family is planting 50 fruit trees. The trees will provide windbreaks, and the fruit will be an added source of nutrition for the families.

In the past two weeks, severe weather has brought tornadoes and flooding to states still recovering from winter and early spring storms. Damage is most severe in Oklahoma (200 homes damaged), Texas (100 homes damaged), and Arkansas (3/4 of the counties have been declared disaster areas since the Feb. tornadoes). Tennessee, Alabama, southern Illinois, and Kentucky have also reported damage from the mix of flooding and tornadoes.

Long-term recovery groups in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky are taking part in Church World Service Emergency Response training workshops.

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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