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Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance
2 Years in Ukraine2/26/2024 updates from partners on long-term responseSaturday February 24 marked two years of war in Ukraine. It also marked two full years of daily response to the needs of thousands of impacted families, along with refugees and displaced persons, both inside Ukraine and in the surrounding nations. Week of Compassion's implementing partners within the ACT Alliance network continue to serve amid the most challenging circumstances. We are grateful to share this glimpse into that ongoing work: a Special Offering 2024 Mission MomentWhen gale-force winds rushed along the mountains of Maui, they brought down power lines, ignited grasslands, and contributed to what has become “America’s deadliest wildfire in more than a century.” An extremely dry summer, strain on the island’s water resources, and winds as a result of the simultaneous Hurricane Dora, exacerbated the flames, and the toll on land and people continued to mount. Response Fund 20232/15/2024 In January, Week of Compassion shared our annual Year in Review, highlighting the ways in 2023 that Disciples responded with compassion around the world, and how the work of disaster relief, refugee response, and sustainable development carries on from one place to the next.
The graphics below give a summary glance of that longer list of responses - by designation (how the gifts were used) and by global region (where the gifts were shared), plus a single combined snapshot. a Special Offering 2024 Mission MomentSouth Sudan is a new country and there have been major conflicts since it became its own nation in 2011. One of the side effects of the ongoing conflict is the impact on the health systems, particularly on women and girls, who are especially vulnerable given the limited health care in the country. There is little infrastructure to support women and their health, leaving NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to deliver 80% of services like prenatal and postnatal care, along with family planning counseling and HIV screening and treatment. Providing such care is hard, and many women have to walk for miles to the health clinics. Truly amazing are the nurses and doctors and the care they provide – as important is the community space they create for women to support one another and empower one another to move forward. The impact is incredible. a Special Offering 2024 Mission MomentFor the past couple of years, when you would drive into Mayfield, KY from Paducah, KY and crest the hill to the north of town, the sight would take your breath away – a town flattened. Businesses, churches, homes, all destroyed when, on December 10, 2021, a mile-wide EF4 long-track tornado hit multiple counties in western Kentucky, leaving a massive path of destruction and thousands of Kentuckians homeless. Disciples swiftly responded through Week of Compassion and Kentucky West Area congregations, and the generosity of Disciples lives on as homes are rebuilt and communities are restored. In the two years since that event, Week of Compassion has partnered with Long-Term Recovery Groups to stabilize communities and support them through their recovery. Volunteer referrals and grant funding are helping move rebuilding forward in multiple counties - all with unique approaches to meeting the needs in their own neighborhoods. a Special Offering 2024 mission momentIn Afghanistan, young women are now barred from education past the sixth grade. In a region historically familiar with the struggle for equity and liberation following decades of violence, generation after generation of Shia Muslims have been targeted, their basic human rights drastically restricted. Some schools that still meet (remnants of education for young women in Afghanistan) are established and maintained by partners of Week of Compassion. Much like at schools anywhere, stepping into a classroom of kindergarteners is an energetic scene: students enthusiastically answering their teachers, embracing the opportunity of education, dreaming about their futures, young and optimistic. |
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