Responding to emergencies - Our approach

Java, Indonesia, earthquake survivors receiving Church World Service blankets. Photo: Harun Tambing/Church World Service-Indonesia

Church World Service helps the faith community play its special role in disaster mitigation, preparedness, and response in the U.S. and around the world -- which is to:

• Stand on the side of the oppressed through advocacy with and for those most in need.
• Seek out unmet needs of all survivors -- particularly people who were vulnerable and marginalized before the disaster.
• Provide a larger vision of life that includes emotional and spiritual care as well as physical rebuilding.
• Assist in long-term recovery of those in need.
• Restore and build community relationships.

The goal of the Church World Service is to assure that vulnerable persons and communities, in the aftermath of natural and human caused disaster, will achieve long-term physical, psychological and spiritual recovery and acquire sustainable forms of preparedness.

To do this, the Church World Service enables its member communions to effectively join together through its activities and the work of CWS partners in disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response. CWS encourages all religious organizations to coordinate when disaster strikes with others in the faith community so that those in need receive assistance most efficiently and effectively.

What We Do

International Disaster Response | Domestic Disaster Response | Material Shipments

International Disaster Response

CWS has worked in disaster response and rehabilitation overseas since its inception in 1946.

Worldwide, Church World Service responds to disasters:

1. As a member of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International -- the emergency response consortium of churches and church-related agencies coordinated by Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Council of Churches (WCC)
2. Through key partners in Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America & Caribbean, Middle East, and Southern Asia and its member denominations

In general, CWS responds to disasters overseas where:

1. It has existing partners, related staff, or member denominations in an area
2. The affected disaster area has limited resources and
3. Response activities give priority to vulnerable groups -- inlcuding children, mothers, older persons, diasabled persons.

In response to overseas disasters, CWS may:

• Provide financial support to ACT along with direct financial and material resources assistance to a local partner or denominational project not under the auspices of ACT
• Second denominational staff or provide CWS personnel for an ACT Rapid Response Team
• Support partner capacity-building via financial grants, material resources, and/or technical assistance

CWS participates in Interaction, an association of U.S.-based non-governmental agencies (NGOs) engaged in relief and development activities worldwide.

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Disaster Response In the U.S.

In the U.S., Church World Service works with and through faith-based state and community organizations that engage in disaster preparedness, and in reducing vulnerability of communities.

Professional Disaster Response and Recovery Liasons (DRRLs) are the critical central operational component of the Domestic Disaster Response program. They encourage and facilitate cooperative work by people of faith in comprehensive ministry.

Full-time DRRLs work in assigned regions where they monitor, assess, and report on disasters and respond as required. They provide a pastoral presence at disaster sites and work with faith-based responders to coordinate immediate response and relief and implement cooperative long-term recovery efforts. They are liaisons with the American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs) and other responders. They are also sources of public information on the role of the faith community in disaster response and recovery. Beyond their work in disasters, full-time DRRLs facilitate faith community disaster mitigation and preparedness as consultants and educators.

Domestically, CWS also deploys part-time on-call DRRLs as needed for specialized assignments that support and strengthen state and community inter-religous organizations, facilitate cooperative activity of faith groups in disaster preparedness/mitigation/response/recovery, and build relationships with faith groups, FEMA, the American Red Cross, VOADs, and other response agencies.

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Material Shipments

Church World Service ships material aid by sea or air almost anywhere in the world subject to U.S. Government and host government regulations. All materials it ships enter countries duty-free and are distributed through consignees with storage and distribution capacity. The CWS material resources program:

• Supports ongoing programs and projects of CWS, its colleague agencies, and other related organizations and entities
• Responds to disasters and emergencies overseas and in the United States
• Maintains a limited inventory of selected material resources necessary and useful for disaster and emergency situations
• Assists CWS member denominations and related agencies in procuring and shipping material aid for their programs and projects overseas
• Assists overseas programs and projects by providing information and help in appropriate technology and other specialized fields

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