Photo: Reuters/Arko Datta, courtesy www.alertnet.org

Tools and Blankets
A Rainbow of Caring

"Now the children are scared. They have nightmares and lie
awake at night," says Elumalai, father of Jedis, age 2, and Habinesh, 4. Elumalai, his wife, Amutha, and the children live on the coast of India that was devastated by the tsunami. Amutha and the children ran for their lives when the tsunami hit, while Elumalai, far out to sea with other fishermen, only felt it as a passing swell.

The tsunami of December 26, 2004 — one of the most devastating disasters of the last 50 years — claimed more than 250,000 lives. Millions were displaced, homes and livelihoods shattered, in an area stretching from Indonesia to East Africa.

Church World Service, with long-standing programs in the region, quickly responded — blankets, tents, mosquito nets, water, medical supplies, and Hygiene Kits were directed to the most affected areas. And now, thanks to funds from the CWS Tools & Blankets Program, CWS continues to meet emergency needs as well as the long-term demands of rebuilding shattered lives and communities.

Church World Service responds to disasters in a wholistic manner. That’s what we mean by a “Rainbow of Caring.” We are there responding immediately after a disaster happens, but our commitment is to stand with people in the long process of recovery and rehabilitation as well. When the images of horror from the tsunami or other disasters fade from our television screens, CWS will still be at work providing care to traumatized children; rebuilding homes and clinics; strengthening food security by providing seeds and tools, fishing equipment, and training. Thanks to your support, the CWS Tools & Blankets Program is a rainbow of caring to people in need around the world.

Through the Tools & Blankets Program, congregations and groups around the country reach out in compassion to people in need in more than 80 countries. Simply said, the right tool at the right time can make a world of difference in the lives of a family or a community. You can be part of that rainbow of caring:

$25 can provide five warm blankets for a family left homeless by a hurricane in Florida

$100 can buy fishing nets and equipment for a village cooperative in Bolivia

$175 can shelter an extended family of disaster survivors in
an extra-large tent.

$250 can provide a sewing machine to a widow learning to support her family in Afghanistan

$5,090 can drill a well and bring clean, safe water to a village in Malawi

Please give generously to the Tools & Blankets Program.

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