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CWS Hotline - 12 Jan 2009 : OPT, Myanmar, Sudan

Gaza

"Writing on behalf of the member communions of Church World Service and the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, we express our solidarity with you and all those in the Holy Land who are grieved at this time of extreme sorrow, pain and suffering," say the Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and CEO of Church World Service, and the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the NCCCUSA, in an open letter to the Heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem.

"Along with you and ecumenical partners worldwide, we call upon Israelis and Palestinians to cease their acts of violence and provocation, and we call upon the international community to work with both parties to achieve an immediate cease-fire and end the loss of life."

At this writing, some 800 Palestinians have been killed as well as 13 Israelis--10 of them soldiers. And about 3,200 Palestinians have been injured since Israel began its assault on Dec. 27. For now, movements of humanitarian aid into Gaza have been halted because of violence against aid convoys.

CWS and its partners are standing ready to deliver emergency supplies that include medicine, blankets, food and energy biscuits for children, along with trauma therapists to Gaza.

CWS has called its Speak Out advocacy network to action, asking people to press their lawmakers in Washington to support prompt U.S. diplomatic action to end the fighting in Gaza and renew a meaningful process toward peace with justice for Palestinians and Israelis.

Contributions for the Gaza emergency are urgently needed.

Myanmar (Burma)

Church World Service-supported relief and recovery assistance to Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta region continues to reach more survivors of May's Cyclone Nargis.

In the crisis phase, a local CWS partner delivered 4,249 water baskets including water purifiers and 73,124 tarpaulins. CWS also assisted a joint-funded farm recovery project, which provided rice seeds, fertilizers, tillers and diesel fuel for 55,912 farm households in 572 villages.

Now, CWS is supporting dry season agricultural programs for some 70,000 households, providing rice and vegetable seeds, fertilizers, hand power tillers and irrigation pumps. The CWS-supported program will also ensure season-long wage employment for some 44,000 landless households.

In addition, some 110,400 people will receive training on disaster risk reduction and preparedness. And, CWS and its local partner also plan to rebuild an initial ten primary schools in the Dedaye area, as well as provide school supplies and uniforms for students. Each school will serve about 120 students.

Sudan

The humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan, is now entering its sixth year. Some 290,000 people were newly-displaced during 2008, bringing the total number of internally displaced people to 2.69 million and the total number affected (including host communities) to 4.72 million.

Church World Service continues its support of the joint Action by Churches Together Alliance and Caritas Internationalis Confederation program, one of the largest humanitarian programs in Darfur.

This year, the program plans to provide health care for more than 207,000 people, assist some 28,800 malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women, and promote vaccinations in all health facilities, along with providing drugs, medical supplies and equipment. In addition, some 235,000 people will gain clean water, sanitation facilities, and training.

The program also plans to provide clean water by digging 21 new boreholes and four open hand-dug wells; rehabilitating five hand-dug wells, and maintaining water supply systems and 69 hand pumps through trained community pump mechanics and water committees; and replacing five diesel motorized water systems with solar powered systems.