Emergency Response News Briefs
December 14, 2006 • Archive
Roundup of DRRL Activities
- Disaster Response and Recovery Liaison (DRRL) Heriberto Martinez represented Church World Service at the Lutheran Disaster Response National Biennial Meeting Nov. 30-Dec. 3 in Phoenix, Ariz.
- DRRL Tom Davis attended the annual training conference of the Wisconsin Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) December 6-8, with representatives from Michigan, Tennessee, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois also present. Tom was a presenter in two plenary sessions and two workshops.
- Two On-Call DRRLs, Neil Molenaar from Washington State and Cherri Baer from Kansas, will be retiring from regular work with Church World Service at the end of the year. Both have been with CWS for a number of years and were volunteer disaster response coordinators prior to becoming a part of the DRRL team.
Molenaar was recently awarded an “Excellence in Service” award by Washington Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) for “providing leadership, reliability and excellence, “ and for “fostering cooperation, collaboration and respect.”
Health Kits to West Virginia Disaster Relief Group
CWS has sent 1,035 CWS Health Kits, valued at $12,420, to Appalachian Outreach, a Glen Dale, W.V., non-profit organization coordinating flood/disaster relief for poor and elderly persons.
International Liaison Completes Evaluation of STAR in West Africa
CWS International Disaster Response Liaison Ivan DeKam just returned from West Africa after completing an evaluation of the Seminars on Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) initiatives in Sierra Leone and Liberia implemented by the respective Christian councils in those countries, which have now been completed.
The STAR initiative focused on providing the Christian councils and partner organizations with the capacity to respond to the related issues of trauma, justice and peace-building within their individual national contexts and regionally. They also focused on the unique roles religious leaders and religious organizations bring to these issues. Approximately 1,000 persons in the region have been involved in the 24 workshops learning about the linkage between unhealed trauma and cyclical conflict.
Five broad topics were explored in the workshops (trauma healing, security, spirituality, justice and conflict transformation) with the participants gaining knowledge of the relationship and role of the five concepts in establishing sustainable peace processes.
Christmas Greetings from the ERP Staff
The CWS Emergency Response Program staff wishes its denominational supporters, partners and others a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas holiday.