WOC Committee Visits Katrina-ravaged Communities

Saturday, May 13, A.D. 2006

The Week of Compassion Committee met this week near Jackson, MS, giving members an opportunity to visit hurricane-ravaged communities across the Gulf Coast. Members visited Disciples Mission Stations at First Christian Church in Moss Point, MS, and Grace Disciples Church in Covington, LA, as well as local interfaith recovery organizations in McComb and Gulfport, MS. The trip also included a tour with CWS field staff into devastated neighborhoods in New Orleans. While Committee members were deeply moved by the extent of the destruction and the massive recovery issues that remain, they were also pleased by the work of the Mission Stations and local interfaith agencies and reaffirmed WOC's commitment to support long-term hurricane recovery and rehabilitation efforts.

Major business actions included approval of a grant of $122,000 in response to the recent $20 million Church World Service appeal for earthquake recovery work in Pakistan and a $40,000 grant to an Interchurch Medical Assistance appeal to restock the medical depot and rebuild the medical supply chain for the Christian Health Association of Liberia. The Committee also approved a grant of $50,000 to match a grant from Florence (KY) Christian Church for a unique CWS "Build a Village" sustainable development project in Bosansko Grahovo, Bosnia. The combined $100,000 from WOC and Florence CC will grow by another $90,000 from the Sandy River Foundation to support local income generation and micro-enterprise initiatives to women, minority returnees and other vulnerable persons in one of Bosnia's most devastated areas. An estimated 97% of the municipality was destroyed during the war and more than 90% of the returnees are unemployed.

Other actions by the Committee included the approval of $103,349 in grants from the WOC Priority Project fund for a variety of sustainable development projects, including a food security project in Nicaragua, seeds distribution projects in six southern African countries, tropical disease eradication projects in Tanzania, dam reparation projects in China and community medical care in the Dominican Republic, water workshops in Kenya, and agricultural development projects in Haiti.

The Committee also received updates on WOC's ongoing responses to major appeals for the Southern Asia tsunami recovery, U.S. hurricane recovery, ongoing relief in Sudan/Darfur, and drought/famine work in the Horn of Africa.

CWS "Gift of the Heart" Kits Needed

In the aftermath of last year's unprecedented "disaster year", the stock of Church World Service "Gift of the Heart" Kits is depleted, especially School and Baby Kits and Emergency Cleanup Buckets. In anticipation of another busy hurricane season, CWS is issuing an urgent appeal to its member communions for help in replenishing its supply of kits. Content information, along with packaging and shipping instructions, can be accessed from the WOC website: www.weekofcompassion.org. Click on "Resources" and look for Gift of the Heart Kits under Hands-On Outreach Projects.