From Hamilton Conference:
May 22, 2008
Dear colleague in ministry,
RE: UCC EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN MYANMAR (BURMA) AND CHINA
Please share the following information with congregation members this coming Sunday.
As you know the General Council Office of the United Church has issued an appeal for cyclone relief in Myanmar (Burma) and is accepting donations for earthquake relief in China. Details of both crises can be found on the national website: www.united-church.ca. ACT by Churches Together (ACT), an international alliance of faith-based aid organizations of which the United Church is a member, has launched a $5 million appeal to meet the increasing demands for humanitarian relief for 1.3 million people in Myanmar (Burma) and a $1.5 million appeal to assist 8,000 families in central China in the wake of a devastating earthquake. The United Church is working through ACT to help people in need.
Relief aid is moving in Myanmar (Burma)
We wish to assure United Church constituents that relief aid is getting through to communities in Myanmar (Burma) who need it. ACT reports that:
"Relief is moving. An ACT member representative in Yangon [Myanmar's capital] said that...local organisations are reaching 'very poor villages that nobody else can access.' One organisation has already established 21 centres assisting people now homeless after the disaster. 'ACT member-supported local organizations, as part of civil society networks, are using their local knowledge to assess needs and deliver assistance,'" reported John Nduna, ACT's executive director. (May 16) Amity Foundation responding in China
United Church partner, Amity Foundation, is already responding to the disaster. Amity staff were sent to Sichuan only hours after the earthquake struck. With donations from local donors and global partners, Amity and its local partners are providing food, water, oil, quilts and supplies for babies especially in Mianzhu county. A team specialized in grief counselling and consisting of six professors from local universities and Amity Foundation staff is providing counselling services.
The needs in Myanmar (Burma) and China continue to be high
We are grateful for the donations we have received for people and communities affected by both crises. We hope that members will continue to demonstrate generosity in helping to meet the urgent needs of the many individuals and families who have lost loved ones and are displaced and without food, water and shelter.
Yours in Christ,
Patti Talbot
Acting Executive Minister
Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations
The United Church of Canada
For more information, please contact:
Gary W. Kenny
Program Co-ordinator for
Southern Africa/Emergency Response
Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit
United Church of Canada
3250 Bloor St. West Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M8X 2Y4
Telephone: 416-231-7680 Ext. 4051
Fax: 416-231-3103
E-mail: gkenny at united-church.ca