UMCOR begins fourth year of tsunami
assistance
The United Methodist
Committee on Relief delivers boats to communities in Sri
Lanka following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that
devastated coastal communities of South Asia and East
Africa. A UMNS file photo courtesy of UMCOR.
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By Michelle Scott* Jan. 9, 2008
| NEW YORK (UMNS)
The United Methodist Committee on Relief is working to help
tsunami survivors find a "new normal" more than three years
after one of the world's worst natural disasters killed an
estimated 230,000 people and displaced millions in 11
countries.
In Indonesia and Sri Lanka—the countries most affected by
the tsunami—UMCOR offices continue to work daily to help
survivors recover whatever possible. UMCOR also provided
relief and recovery assistance in Somalia, India and
Thailand.
United Methodists and others have contributed approximately
$42 million to UMCOR's tsunami relief response since the Dec.
26, 2004, disaster.
UMCOR emphasizes a shared approach that encourages
participants to take ownership of their recovery and to act as
project partners in an effort to empower survivors to restore
their lives.
UMCOR officials offer this update on their ongoing work in
the two hardest hit countries:
Indonesia
In Aceh Province, UMCOR has helped 40,000 people directly
through housing and infrastructure reconstruction, community
development, income generation and livelihoods programs, and
education. The agency also worked with the Methodist Church of
Indonesia in Banda Aceh to help the church be a place of
service to their community.
In addition to the work in Aceh Province on the island of
Sumatra, UMCOR is expanding its relief to Nias Island, which
was also heavily damaged by the 2004 earthquake and tsunami.
In March 2005, the island was nearly leveled by a second
earthquake.
In Nias, an area where many families are without access to
safe water, UMCOR is conducting a large-scale water research
project, which will result in a master water supply plan for
South Nias and at least one water supply infrastructure
project on the island.
Sri Lanka
UMCOR’s recovery efforts in Sri Lanka have involved
collaboration with the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka,
including helping Sri Lankan Methodists expand their own
capacity to respond to disaster. The work is interrupted from
time to time by ongoing political and military conflict in the
tsunami zone.
The challenge spurred UMCOR to seek ways to overcome the
causes of the violence, a determination enhanced by a
partnership with Muslim Aid, an aid agency based in the United
Kingdom.
UMCOR’s programs support survivors of both the tragedies of
tsunami and civil strife, providing homes and food, improving
agriculture production, rebuilding infrastructures, and
generating jobs and business development. Rural reconstruction
and development ranks high on the list of priorities. More
than 100,000 people have been helped through these
projects.
*Scott is director of communications for the United
Methodist Committee on Relief.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759
or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
UMCOR: Sri Lanka
United
Methodist Committee on Relief
Methodist Church of Sri Lanka
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