NEW YORK – The number of children in poverty who are hungry could reach unparalleled levels in 2012 given the state of the global economy, Church World Service says in its annual New Year's assessment.

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

EMERGENCY APPEAL:
THAILAND FLOOD RESPONSE 2011 APPEAL #700-B

AMOUNT: $301,769

OCT. 31, 2011

SITUATION: Heavy monsoon rains have been plaguing South East Asia since July and have severely affected one-third of Thailand's land mass. A total of 3.4 million acres of farmland -- a landmass 13 times the size of Hong Kong -- is submerged under water.

CWS-P/A and The Sphere Project: a partnership to promote quality and accountability in humanitarian relief efforts

As the number of large-scale disasters rises worldwide, it's more crucial than ever that humanitarian aid adheres to quality and accountability standards. Toward that end, Church World Service-Pakistan/Afghanistan has formalized its partnership with the Sphere Project - developer of a global charter that outlines the standards humanitarian response organizations should meet.

Since 2005, CWS-P/A has spearheaded the

Over the past few weeks, several boats have been rescued off the coasts of Indonesia and the Andaman Islands of India. Survivors tell of having been detained in Thailand, beaten, and towed out to sea on boats without engines or sufficient food and water. Several hundred remain missing and are feared dead.

Dominican Republic

"Our houses are still full of mud and... we have lost many of our furnishings... and household goods," says Alta Gracia Mendez Nicolas, mother of seven children, of Tropical Storm Noel that hit the Dominican Republic some two weeks ago. "We have lost most of our agricultural production and now we are making it by food donations and whatever we can scrape together."

More than 100 communities are reportedly still inaccessible and incommunicado due to flooding and damaged roads.

Roads in one hard-to-reach area--Bateye

Group cooperation aids continuing Hurricane Katrina recovery in New Orleans, Louisiana

Louisiana

Recovery from Hurricane Katrina has brought together faith-based and community groups from across the New Orleans area: Greater New Orleans Disaster Recovery Partnership (GNODRP) is a CWS-supported umbrella agency representing nine long-term recovery groups and 70 agencies.

The group serves as a roundtable where unmet needs are addressed. For example, when case manager Ron Simmons needed supplies to repair a client's home, he brought the need to GNODRP.

More than 9,000 Burmese refugees live in a patchwork of houses crammed along narrow alleys. Pit latrines were dug under the houses, used, closed, and new ones dug, but now all room has been exhausted. Wells have run dry, and drought has all but dried up the stream that feeds the camp's water tanks. The remaining trickle of water, along with whatever water is trucked in, is strictly rationed.

Tham Hin camp got even more crowded in

Church World Service (CWS), founded in 1946, is the relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations within the United States. Working in partnership with local organizations in more than 80 countries, CWS supports sustainable self-help development, meets emergency needs, aids refugees, and addresses the root causes of poverty and powerlessness. CWS provides assistance without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, or gender.

The mission statement of Church World