There’s always something new with Week of Compassion! We never know day to day what we might be called upon to respond to; you never know how your faithful and generous gifts to Week of Compassion may be needed. As you probably know, we respond to human need around the world, on average, every other day. In order to keep you informed, we have decided to “tweak” the ways that we write and send out these email updates. Starting next week, we will be sending out two weekly emails. On Tuesdays, you will receive an email very much like the email updates you are used to receiving, written by Amy, Brandon, or one of our great partners across the world involved in the relief, development, and refugee ministries of Week of Compassion. On Thursdays, you will receive an email entitled “What’s New with Week of Compassion?” and there will be a digest of quick reads, links, and resources that you can use in communication with your church, community, and friends about the work and witness of Week of Compassion, as well as a list of the places we have responded during that week.

Thank you for your faithful support. It is our hope that this helps keep all of us “in the loop” about the ministry you, our partners in the pews, partners overseas, and staff are doing together. We give thanks to the God of peace, hope, and creative grace who gives energy to this critical and compassionate ministry.

Week of Compassion in Action

Chris Herlinger of Church World Service sends back this report of work being done on the grassroots level in Haiti:

A sense of family: The quiet, localized efforts of Haitians assisting fellow Haitians

As Fontil Louiner sees it, faced with the reality of damaged homes and lost income, he and more than two dozen family members and friends had no alternative but to pull up stakes and leave the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

“We had no other choice. We couldn’t stay,” said the 39-year-old video technician who recently returned to his hometown of Petite Riviere, in the northern department of Artibonite.

But in doing so – and helping establish a 500-meals-a-day feeding program in Petite Riviere -- Louiner not only became part of a wider exodus out of Port-au-Prince; he also became part of a story that has often been overlooked in the rush of recent images and narratives of international aid workers assisting Haitians.

For more on this story, click here.

Souper Bowl OF Caring

Thanks to so many congregations, youth groups, and individuals, Souper Bowl of Caring is rejoicing over another successful year of congregations, schools and other charitable individuals joining together to make a difference in the fight against hunger.

So far, 225 Disciples of Christ congregations have donated more than $90,000 in cash and food items to charities as part of the Souper Bowl of Caring! 

Thanks to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the thousands of other groups that have reported, the national total is more than $8 million...and growing! Together, we are fighting hunger and poverty while transforming the time around the Super Bowl into a movement of giving and serving. Thanks to many of you who contributed a portion of your Souper Bowl offerings to Week of Compassion.

If you participated, make sure your church has been added to the national total.

REPORT your Souper Bowl of Caring results online today by clicking here. 

Music for Haiti: “To Haiti With Love”

Woodmont Christian Church recently sponsored “To Haiti With Love,” a benefit concert featuring Disciple Musicians Andra Moran, Thom Schuyler, Gabe Dixon, and many others, including special guest Vince Gill.  Pictures are available here.

The work goes on! As always, we give great thanks for your faithful ministry with us. What we can accomplish together, with God’s grace, is pretty incredible. Thank you for your daring, creative, courageous compassion.

Alex Morse is a Church World Service Volunteer in the Dominican Republic as well as a former Global Mission Intern of Global Ministries. In this brief note, Alex updates us all on the fantastic work being done in Haiti by the Social Services of the Dominican Churches (SSID), another great partner organization of Week of Compassion as well as Church World Service and the ACT Alliance.  Alex highlights the best ways North Americans can put their resources to use in Haiti’s recovery.  For more about the great work being done by SSID, be sure to check out www.SSIDonline.org. Alex also encourages those who want to follow his work by subscribing to his email newsletter by emailing him at Alex.P.Morse@gmail.com 

Hello Everyone,

It has been almost two months now since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, and since I arrived here to work with Social Services of the Dominican Churches.

The last month has been interesting getting to see how different non-governmental organizations are responding to the needs, and learning about all the different parts that go into responding to a massive disaster.  I have also been involved in working with SSID's new project that they have with Church World Service and Christian Aid, where we are providing food, water, and shelter to 2,000 people.  That is in addition to the other 23,000 people that we are supporting in five other camps.

On top of all the demands of feeding and providing shelter to 2,000 people, we are also trying to meet SPHERE standards in the process.  SPHERE is a set of minimum standards that humanitarian groups try to meet in response to disasters or refugee situations. For example, we are trying to provide 2,100 calories of food per person per day, three liters of drinking water per day, adequate shelter from the rain, and mattresses for sleeping.  The idea is that by following these standards, risk of disease and malnutrition can be reduced, and it also helps to protect the dignity of people living in the emergency camps.  When there is not adequate food or water, people can be forced into desperate situations, and are prone to abuse from those with resources.  

More about SPHERE and our project can be found here and pictures from the camps can be found here.

The last time I was in Jimani working on our project I was surprised to run into two Disciples pastors organizing a mission trip. I was grateful to hear that they have been advised by Global Ministries not to come.  First, the situation in Haiti for now has been incredibly peaceful, but the situation is not stable and could quickly change. 

Second, much of the work that needs to be done in the rebuilding of Haiti at this point requires either the skills of  very experienced specialists working on infrastructure projects, or physical labor, which can and should be done by the Haitians as they should be as involved as possible in the rebuilding of their country.  Mission groups responding to emergencies often do not have the required skills (unless it is a team of doctors or civil engineers), and are often less able to do construction or clean up projects as they aren't used to building with local materials or able to speak the language, and so they only distract from the work at hand.

After meeting with the pastors I began to wonder what it would cost to send down a mission group, and what those resources would be able to buy if put into the hands of a responsible organization like SSID.  Having worked on the budget for our camps that feed 2,000 people every day, I have a good estimate of the costs of supplying an emergency camp, and after a little research I was able to put together an estimate of the costs for a a group of 12 people to come from Chicago and work for one week in Haiti. Assuming that they stay in the cheapest hotels, a no frills mission trip for 12 to Haiti would cost around $10,986.60 without covering any budget for projects. 

For the cost of a group of 12 to visit we could:

•  Feed 2,000 people for 6 days. 
•  Feed 13,200 people for 1 day. 
•  Provide shelter for  1,569 families (about 5,000 people). 
•  Provide clean drinking water for one month to 4,171 people. 

or

•  Provide sheets and mattresses for 304 people.

As satisfying as it is to work alongside our Haitian brothers and sisters, at this point the money is more urgently needed, as supplies can be purchased easily here in the Dominican Republic.  I hope those considering mission trips right now to Haiti or Chile will take these numbers into consideration, and decide whether supporting a grassroots project is a better use of resources than what a trip would cost.  From my perspective, the answer is pretty clear.  

Please continue to lift up Haiti in prayer as the rainy season begins, and for those suffering right now in Chile.

Alex Morse
Church World Service Volunteer in the Dominican Republic

CHILE UPDATE

Week of Compassion responded immediately to the earthquake in Chile with solidarity grants to our Global Ministries partners and by contributing to the initial $15,000 grant sent by Church World Service for relief efforts.

ACT and CWS members in Chile have pulled together to form the Inter-Church Emergency Committee Chile 2010.  The groups’ main goal is to respond in a coordinated way as ACT members and serve the most affected communities. Participating denominations and agencies are: Methodist Church of Chile, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mision Apostolica Universal Church, FASIC, SEPADE, EPES and CLAI Chile.

A CWS assessment is currently under way, and we will contribute once their appeal is issued.  If you would like to contribute to the relief effort, you can now designate gifts for earthquake relief in Chile here.

Thank you for your continued vigilance in these affected regions.  Week of Compassion stands with the people of Haiti, Chile, and all over the world—and we stand with our faithful congregations in North America who dare to step out and respond with Courageous Compassion.  For all of you who celebrated Week of Compassion over the last week, for those of you who will give in the coming weeks or who gave at some other point throughout the year, we thank you, and we are thankful for you. 

A devastating magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck Chile early this morning, Saturday, February 27, 2010, shattering buildings and bridges, killing at least 78 people and setting off a tsunami that threatened every nation around the Pacific Ocean — roughly a quarter of the globe.

Messages of compassion, concern and support have been sent to Rev. Ulises Muñoz, Obispo Iglesia Pentecostal de Chile; Rosario Castillo, Educación Popular en Salud (EPES); Dora Canales, Comunidad Teológica de Chile, Disciples/UCC-Global Ministries Partners, and Elena Huegel, missionary with Global Ministries. 

Praise be to God, we have received news from the Bishop of the Pentecostal Church of Chile, who has not heard of any deaths of church members.  There was some damage of homes in Curico and Talca, but homes were not destroyed.  Elena Huegel, our beloved friend and missionary, was in the mountains at Centro Shalom with the whole staff.  Everyone is well and they are on their way down from the mountain.  Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers. 

Church World Service emergency response staff have also been in contact with colleagues on the ground in Chile, who report their people are safe. CWS has worked in Chile to provide emergency preparedness training and assistance to the country's sizable population of Colombians, displaced to Chile by conflict.  CWS works with two Chilean agencies, FASIC (Fundacion de Ayuda Social de las Iglesia Cristianas) and IMECH, the Methodist Church of Chile.

As part of the international ACT Alliance network, CWS will work to provide emergency assistance such as food, water and shelter to those affected by this disaster.  CWS staff continue to be in contact with people in Chile and colleagues in other ACT Alliance agencies to ensure a timely and responsible response.  CWS staff are also preparing for a tsunami response in Hawaii should any be needed.

Week of Compassion emergency solidarity grants were immediately authorized for three Global Ministries partners in Chile and Church World Service to support relief initiatives.

Week of Compassion and Global Ministries staff are monitoring the unfolding disaster situation and will continue to update you as we receive more information. 

How Can You  Help?

1.　Pray for the people of Chile, their leaders, our partners, and emergency response workers.

2.　Please help the people of Chile by sending or donating on-line gifts to Week of Compassion, designated for Chile Earthquake and Tsunami Relief.

Thank you for your ongoing support, trust, and courageous compassion.  We continue to trust in God's ubiquitous presence and love.   

Week of Compassion continues to monitor the situation in Chile. We pray for those affected. We will post more information very soon with opportunities for you to donate. Please check our site and Facebook page soon.

UPDATE: 2/27/2010 02:19PM CST

SITUATION: A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit central Chile early today, causing damage throughout the South American country and triggering tsunami warnings in the Pacific basin.

As of mid-afternoon today, the death toll stood at 122 in Chile though is expected to rise, The New York Times reported. Damage was particularly heavy in Concepción. That city,  Chile's second-largest metropolitan area, is located only 70 miles from the earthquake's epicenter.

The tsunami warning was issued throughout the Western Hemisphere, and in Hawaii, low-lying areas there are being evacuated.  The tsunami already reached Peru, with some coastline damage.

The Times reported that the Chilean quake is being called "vastly more powerful" than the 7.0-magnitude quake that caused massive destruction in Haiti last month.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in her country saying:  "We have had a huge earthquake -- We're doing everything we can with all the resources we have." The president said international assistance was not yet needed.

"Chile has a pretty strong national emergency management system in place and has dealt in the past with a number of catastrophic disasters," said Donna Derr, who coordinates emergency response for Church World Service.

Derr added: "While there are historic areas in the country which are certainly most extremely vulnerable in events such as earthquakes, most of the newer housing has been built to earthquake mitigation standards
which are now required there; there is also a strong regional system in place for provision of resources, such as search and rescue operational assistance between Chile and its neighbors."

RESPONSE: Church World Service has been in contact with local partners in Chile, including Fundación de Ayuda de las Iglesias Cristianas, known by the acronym FASIC, and the Methodist Church of Chile and with members of the ACT Alliance. ACT Alliance members active in Chile include the Lutheran World Federation and the regional organization Centro Regional Ecuménico de Asesoría y Servicio, known by the acronym CREAS. The partners in Chile are conducting assessments.

CWS staff have been in contact with the Hawaii Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. CWS has long ties in Hawaii with the VOAD and with the United Church of Christ, a CWS-member denomination.

UPDATE: 2/27/2010 03:07PM CST