|
The link between conflict and hunger is undeniable. Around the world, armed conflicts have placed more than 80 million people at risk of starving—including 23 million refugees and 27 million displaced within their own countries.
When war erupts, food emergencies follow. Unfortunately, very few of these food crises make headlines. Yet, in just the past three months ERD has been able to provide food and other critical supplies in Iraq, Burundi, and the Congo.
Even before, the war in Iraq, 60 percent of the population was dependent on government food aid. Now more than 16 million Iraqis were in danger of starving. Today, the largest food assistance program in history is underway in Iraq¾and Episcopal Relief and Development is there, bringing relief to the most vulnerable people in the country.
ERD sent the Rev. Carl Harris, a consultant, to Iraq in June to investigate how ERD could best respond. Harris had previously worked with charitable organizations in Kosovo, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Vietnam. Harris evaluated both the immediate and long-term needs.
Stories That Break God’s Heart
Visiting many distressed Iraqis, Harris was particularly struck by an elderly blind woman in Mosul. "She lived in a sparse one-room apartment. She had no family and depended on food from a local church." said Mr. Harris. Stories such as this abound in post-war Iraq.
"The current challenges to peace are significant, but ERD is committed to getting humanitarian assistance to those in need," said Mary Becchi, Deputy Director of Program. "We remain focused on addressing the basic human needs of Iraqis by providing food assistance, medical supplies, clean water, and sanitation systems." says Becchi.
With partner agencies, we are providing medical supplies to pediatric hospitals in Baghdad and distributing food in Baghdad, Mosul, and Kirkuk. Previously, ERD supplied canned meats, powdered milk, pasta, beans, and other foods through a network of church distribution centers in Iraq. We’ve advanced funds to provide critical food aid to woman-headed households, the disabled, and the elderly.
Innocent Lives Lost
In Africa, civil wars and ethnic conflicts continue to create food emergencies. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 50,000 lives have been lost in the last five years in an escalating ethnic conflict over the mineral rich province of Ituri. Intense fighting in the town of Bunia, home to the Anglican Theological Seminary, has terrorized the residents. Armed militia ransacked villages, killed hundreds, and burned down homes. U.N. observers found scores of mutilated bodies, many of them women and children.
“Everything has collapsed in Bunia,” reports the Rev. Titre Ande Georges, Principal of the seminary. In early August, the seminary was evacuated and moved to the town of Aru. Thousands of others were forced to flee their homes.
Through your partnership, Episcopal Relief and Development is providing food, medicine, clothing, bedding, and utensils for the seminary’s over two hundred students and staff as they struggle to maintain classes and a semblance of academic life.
In neighboring Burundi, a decade-long struggle between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups has killed more than 300,000 people. Since July, fierce attacks on the capital, Bujumbura, and surrounding areas left hundreds dead and thousands displaced throughout the capital.
The Church Is Still Functioning
“We as the Church are functioning around the city, but with great difficulty,” relates the Rt. Rev. Pie Ntukamazina, Bishop of Bujumbura. “We know there are many hungry people out there who need our help.”
ERD has provided food, temporary shelter, and blankets to women, children, and the elderly in and around Bujumbura.
“People in places such as Iraq, Burundi, and Congo are living a nightmare beyond our comprehension,” declares Sandra Swan, President of ERD. “We have a moral and spiritual obligation—as brothers and sisters in Christ—to support them.”
Your contribution would enable ERD to provide food and other critical supplies in times of crises¾whenever they strike, anywhere in the world. Please support people who are hungry and suffering by making a contribution today!
Did you know?
ERD has responded to over 20 humanitarian emergencies so far in 2003.
|
