(extract)
Appeal Target: US$ 126,465
Geneva, 9 October 2008
Dear Colleagues,
On May 24, 2008, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit the central-eastern region of Colombia. The epicenter was located in the municipality of El Calvario, department of Meta (55 km south-east of Bogota). As the quake occurred at a shallow depth of 3.5 km, its effects and aftershocks were particularly strongly felt. Besides El Calvario, the most affected municipalities are Quetame, Puente Quetame and Guayabetal in the department of Cundinamarca.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the earthquake affected 9,000 people, with 65 injured and 14 dead. 40 buildings close to the epicenter collapsed. More than 900 homes were affected, 660 in the region of Quetame only.
The national relief response included the provision of health care, food, shelter and medicines by the Colombian Red Cross . The army and the police ensured security and facilitated access to shelters and transport of the relief items to the population. The army is currently helping with demolishing buildings and houses that will require complete re-construction. Additionally, the municipal authorities submitted a proposal to the national government to subsidize the rehabilitation of 300 houses for the municipality of Quetame.
The ACT member Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia (IELCO), through its Department for Mission and Development, participated in the relief phase through the Rapid Response Fund request number 13/2008 which was issued on the 4 June 2008. The response included the delivery of food and non food relief items (clothes, plastic sheets, hygiene kits and water containers) to 100 families of the urban area of Quetame and the rural settlement of Granadillos, Las Mercedes and Tibrolete Alto.
ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
Despite the effective local and national rehabilitation efforts, it is unlikely that all the needs of the population will be met, given the lack of resources the population of small farmers has and the increased soil instability in a region prone to earthquake, floods and landslides. Through this appeal, IELCO is planning to supplement the local and national rehabilitation efforts with targeted actions on house rebuilding for families whose homes have been totally destroyed but will not be covered by any governmental rebuilding scheme; food security through vegetable gardening and poultry raising in the rural settlements. Moreover, IELCO's assessment shows the need for psychosocial assistance in order to address the fears among the population, as well as risk management and disaster prevention workshops as later explained in this proposal. The intervention will take place in the same area where IELCO implemented the Rapid Response Fund request.
Project Completion Date: 7 June 2008
Reporting schedule:
Interim narrative & financial: 7 March 2009
Final narrative & financial: 7 August 2009
Audit: 7 September 2009
Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested
Appeal Target
US$
126,465
Less: Pledges/Contr Recd
Balance Requested from ACT Alliance
US$ 126,465
Please kindly send your contributions to either of the following ACT bank accounts:
US dollar
Account Number - 240-432629.60A
IBAN No: CH46 0024 0240 4326 2960A
Euro
Euro Bank Account Number - 240-432629.50Z
IBAN No: CH84 0024 0240 4326 2950Z
Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches
Together
UBS AG
8, rue du Rhône
P.O. Box 2600
1211 Geneva 4, SWITZERLAND
Swift address: UBSWCHZH80A
Please also inform the Finance Officer Jessie Kgoroeadira (jkg@act-intl.org) and the Programme Officer, Michael Zschiegner (mzs@act-intl.org) of all pledges/contributions and transfers, including funds sent direct to the implementers, now that the Pledge Form is no longer attached to the Appeal.
We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.
For further information please contact:
ACT Director, John Nduna (phone +41 22
791 6033 or mobile phone + 41 79 203 6055) or
ACT Program Officer, Michael Zschiegner,
(phone +41 22 791 6420 or mobile phone +41 79 608 8133)
Jessie Kgoroeadira
Acting Director, ACT Co-ordinating Office