WOC Director Offers Reflections from Visit to Darfur

Thursday, September 6, A.D. 2007

Dear Friends,

I’m just back from a week-long visit to the conflict-ridden region of Darfur in western Sudan. The crisis there has been called by some as “the worst humanitarian disaster in the world.” While I’d be hesitant to make that claim – as I’m sure would also the 4.5 million people displaced by the Iraq war, the 35 million+ folk across flood-ravaged Asia, the 16 million people in the Congo who struggle daily against violence, disease and rampant malnutrition or those in a host of other places who might wish to lay claim to such a dubious honor – I can tell you the needs in Darfur are real, massive, overwhelming, heartbreaking . . .

We visited the small town of Zalingei in West Darfur (Darfur is actually three states – North, West and South Darfur). Before the atrocities began, Zalingei’s population was around 15,000. Now more than 120,000 IDPs (internally displaced persons) live in five crowded camps that encircle the town. Altogether, more than 2.2 million people have been displaced from their homes, villages and way of life. Another 2 million have also been affected. All of Darfur has less than 6 million people. The best estimates are that between 200,000 and 250,000 people have been killed or died from hunger, disease or exposure from the violence.

Also, I can tell you that DERO (Darfur Emergency Response Operation), the historic joint response to the crisis by members of the global network of mainly Protestant and Orthodox relief agencies of Action by Churches Together (ACT) and the world-wide network of Catholic agencies of Caritas Internationales, is saving lives and serving some 300,000 people in 27 camps under the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances. Norwegian Church Aid is the manager/implementor for DERO and is providing such essential services as water and sanitation; health and nutrition; protection, peacebuilding and psycho-social services; education; and the distribution of much needed NFIs (nonfood items like plastic sheeting, blankets, household kits, etc.) Since DERO was launched in 2004, Disciples through Week of Compassion have provided $272,000 to the effort – money well spent.

The situation in Darfur is complex – far more than I imagined before I left, far more than is portrayed in the media. It cannot be described, at least any longer, in such simplistic terms as Arab Muslims against African Muslims. There are perhaps as many as 20 different factions vying for a piece of power. Alliances shift frequently between groups aligning with the government and/or the rebels. The soon-to-arrive UN peace-keeping force has raised expectations among the displaced that cannot possibly be met, and with the peace process in shambles, there is really no peace yet to keep. Nonetheless, there is hope that the UN “blue helmets” will provide some semblance of a safe space where the NGOs (non-governmental organizations like ACT/Caritas’ DERO) can carry out their humanitarian activities without fear of attack or harassment and perhaps even provide corridors of safety for IDPs to return to their villages or at least gather firewood without fear of rape and abuse.

Clearly the vast majority of the people of Darfur want peace. The question is whether or not the the local factions, the Sudan government and the international community, including such powers as the U.S. and China, have the will to commit to a fair and thorough peace process – or will other self interests prevail. But even if peace were to come today and people could return to their homelands tomorrow, the work of organizations like Norwegian Church Aid and the support of Christians like Disciples through WOC will be needed for years and years to come.

Please visit the WOC website for additional stories and photos we hope to have posted there soon. Thanks.

Blessings, Johnny Wray

Hurricane Felix Hits Central America

Church partners across Central America are continuing their assessments and organizing relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Felix. Felix, the second Category 5 storm to pass through the Caribbean in two weeks, struck north-east Nicaragua and coastal Honduras with winds up to 160 mph. The region’s isolation and limited communication and transportation infrastructure is hampering damage assessments and aid delivery to the survivors, though some of our partners were able to pre-position a limited amount of relief supplies.

The death toll in Nicaragua has risen to 40 persons, and more than 5,500 homes were destroyed. Heavy rains across Honduras and Guatemala have raised concerns about floods and landslides. The region was devastated by Hurricane Mitch nine years ago and has yet to recover fully from that disaster.

Members of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Central America forum have developed strong disaster management and mitigation capacities and are now collaborating together to submit an appeal to the ACT network. Week of Compassion is now gathering resources to make a response on behalf of the Disciples. Church World Service International Response and Recovery Liaison (and fellow Disciple) Don Tatlock is in contact with ACT partners and is keeping us abreast of developments.

Year Two of Hurricane Recovery Initiative Begins

On September 1, the second year of the two-year Disciples Hurricane Recovery Initiative began. A key aspect of the Initiative is to send at least 750 Disciples work groups to the Gulf South for hurricane recovery and reconstruction work. We begin the second year with 503 groups having gone or scheduled to go. The Office of Disciples Volunteering can provide scheduling details and other important information. Week of Compassion can provide work trip grants. Seven Disciples mission stations from Gulfport, MS to Los Fresnos, TX can provide you respite from some of the hardest work you’ll ever enjoy. Click here to read about the experiences of one of our latest groups – from Community Christian Church, Kansas City, MO.

WOC Map/Poster

Click here for the latest additions to the WOC interactive map/poster. For a complimentary copy of the map/poster for your congregation, call the office at 317.713.2442 or send an e-mail to ecleveland@woc.disciples.org.