(Extract)
South Asia: UMCOR Responds in New
Quake with Tents, Medicines
UMCOR has sent aid to assist survivors of the 8.7 magnitude earthquake that razed much of Nias Island yesterday. The Indonesian island, and its neighbor, Simeulue, suffered severe damage on December 26, 2004, when a much larger quake triggered a devastating tsunami in the region. UMCOR supported today's emergency relief efforts with distribution of tents and medicines. The Methodist Church of Indonesia dispatched a paramedic with food and medicines to Nias. Electrical failures and the breakdown of the island's communications systems have hampered the flow of information, according to an UMCOR contact from the Methodist Church there. The death toll could reach 1,000-2,000 persons. UMCOR partners and aid workers and United Methodist missionaries working in the region are all safe. UMCOR is launching long-term rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts in the region. "This new tragedy prolongs the process of social and economic restoration and intensifies the need for relief efforts," said R. Randy Day, head of the denomination's mission organization. Please continue to pray for South Asia survivors, and give generously to UMCOR Advance #274305, South Asia Emergency.
Afghanistan: UMCOR Continues to Assess Flood Damage
Afghanistan's harshest winter in 15 years has turned into its worst spring. Torrential rains have melted the snow in the several mountainous regions. UMCOR is monitoring damage reports and assessing interventions in Gardez and Paktya, where the agency has rebuilt hundreds of houses, schools, and clinics. The remoteness of the mountain villages hampers communication and information flow. You can assist in a meaningful way with your contributions to UMCOR Advance #602225, Afghanistan Emergency.
Liberia: Hospital Ship Treats Ganta Patients
Medical technicians and doctors from a Mercy Ships hospital ship have assisted with diagnoses and treatment at Ganta United Methodist Hospital in recent weeks. Hospital staff helped with translating, escorting patients, and testing blood samples. Some 57 patients have received free surgeries aboard ship, and another 450 are being evaluated and scheduled for surgery. Ganta United Methodist Hospital, which reopened last April after repairing severe damage from Liberia's 14-year civil war, serves a region of 450,000. The hospital ship provides some services not yet available in the rebuilt facility. You can assist Ganta continue its ministry through your gifts to UMCOR Advance #150385, Ganta Hospital.
UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.
And, please pray for those who are hungry, displaced, sick or in poverty because of these and other natural and human-made disasters, and for the workers who minister to them.