HOTLINE - week of May 05, 2008

Officials in Myanmar (Burma) are reporting that more than 22,000 people have been killed by Tropical Cyclone Nargis, which hit the country's heartland on Saturday (5/3). State radio has reported that another 41,000 people are missing, and as many as one million may be homeless. Three-quarters of the structures in the Irrawaddy Delta region were reportedly damaged by fierce winds, rain, and storm surge. In the storm's aftermath, prices on food, fuel, and building supplies have shot up 300 percent. CWS partners report that communications throughout Burma have been compromised.

CWS is initially providing emergency relief assistance--particularly water, medical supplies, and shelter materials--and anticipates the provision of long-term assistance through several of its partners in Myanmar. CWS Asia-Pacific Regional Office is coordinating assessment activities that will shape a long-term response. Contributions to support emergency efforts are urgently needed.

Millions of people across the globe face malnutrition because of rising food prices. In some countries, hunger and starvation are looming threats. The Reuters news agency estimates basic food prices have gone up anywhere from 45 to 80 percent. Hunger kills an estimated 10 million people every year, and as food becomes more expensive even those who were once marginally secure in their ability to find food are in danger of slipping into hunger and malnutrition.

Learn more about how Church World Service is helping families to gain food security. Download our fact sheet on the Global Food Crisis. Your donation to Church World Service will make a difference for families and communities in need.

Some 750 rural women in Mirpurkhas, in lower Sindh province, are gaining basic math and literacy skills, becoming aware of social issues, and learning to garden with the help of Church World Service and partner The Lower Sindh Rural Development Association (LSRDA).

The women, who are organized into 25 self-help groups, are developing food- and income-generating strategies. They have received goats, micro-loans to start their own businesses, and assistance in marketing their surplus produce. After a year of participation in the project, the women return the value of the goat to their group and another family is chosen to receive a goat and take part in the program.

LSRDA provides continuing business services to these first-time entrepreneurs through product quality control and linkage to the local market.

Among the program's signs of success thus far: 150 well-established savings and credit groups in different villages in lower Sindh, an increase in income and savings levels for the participating villages, more goats and other livestock being raised by families, and increased literacy for women. And savings, income, livestock, and literacy are tools that help families feed themselves now and into the future.

On May 2, tornadoes and high winds tore through parts of the nation's mid-section. Hardest hit was Arkansas, where seven people were killed. Parts of eastern Texas, Missouri, and Illinois were also affected. Earlier, severe weather systems during the last week of April caused damage across Texas and Virginia. In north and west Texas, several dozen homes were damaged in April 24 tornadoes. On April 28, three tornadoes were reported in southeast Virginia. The strongest of these hit the city of Suffolk, damaging more than 120 buildings.

CWS Emergency Response Specialists are participating in damage assessments. CWS is ready to provide material resources, training, and project development support to help meet needs that arise from these storms.

CWS is asking congregations and groups to help replenish the supply of CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets and Baby Kits for distribution to domestic and international partners. Most recently, Church World Service has provided Emergency Clean-up Buckets to partners in Missouri and Arkansas for clean-up following storms and floods there. And, CWS Baby Kits are being distributed to vulnerable families in Kenya, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

More information on the Kits and how your group can help.

On May 2, 22 new homes built to replace those destroyed by Hurricane Katrina were dedicated in West Gulfport. Sixteen of the homes were made possible in part with grants through a collaboration between Church World Service and Habitat for Humanity International. Some 500 houses have been repaired or rebuilt through the joint CWS/Habitat collaboration that began in April 2006, following the 2005 devastation by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The goal by the end of this spring is 645 homes.

Looking for a unique Mother's Day gift? Take a look at the Church World Service Best Gift catalog at www.churchworldservice.org and surprise the special people in your life with "gifts" that bring help and hope to families in need.

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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