FROM THE FIELD
In Today's Hotline: Read how UMCOR is responding to needs around the world:
SIERRE LEONE: GRANT EXPANDS KISSY HOSPITAL US: ALASKA FLOODS SRI LANKA: WATER FOR THE DISPLACED JFON: HELPING FUTURE CLERGYSIERRE LEONE: GRANT EXPANDS KISSY HOSPITAL
The Maternal and Child Health unit of the UMCOR-supported Kissy United Methodist Hospital in Sierre Leone, West Africa will double in capacity thanks to a $450,000 grant issued by USAID's American Schools and Hospital's Abroad (ASHA) Program to UMCOR.
The new facility will increase in maternal bed space from 24 to 48 and the pediatric unit will expand from 10 beds to 23. The grant will also provide a larger outpatient area, consulting rooms, administrative offices, as well as an expanded pharmacy, laboratory and radiology department. Kissy Hospital's Community Outreach Unit will also be housed in the new facility.
UMCOR sought the ASHA grant in collaboration with Operation Classroom and Operation Doctor, ministries of the North Indiana Annual Conference. Through these programs, work teams will be sent to provide professional support to the three-year construction project beginning in early 2010.
Support this work by giving to Hospital Revitalization, UMCOR Advance #982168.
In May, an ice dam broke in the Yukon River causing the worst flooding to hit Eagle, Alaska in more than 70 years. Ice chunks the size of houses slammed into buildings setting them adrift according to news reports.
UMCOR responded with an emergency grant to assist the Alaska Annual Conference with flood recovery efforts. Larry Powell, UMCOR disaster consultant visited the area to assess the damage.
Volunteer teams are urgently needed to assist in clean up. Interested persons can contact Heather Wilson at the Western Jurisdiction Volunteers in Mission Office at umvimwj@hotmail.com or Richard Whetsell at whetsell@ak.net.
You may also contribute to recovery work by giving to US Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670.
SRI LANKA: WATER FOR THE DISPLACED
Over the past several months nearly 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the north of Sri Lanka, creating an urgent need for emergency relief for those in Menik Farm, a camp for the displaced in Vavuniya District. UMCOR, along with partner Muslim Aid, is working to provide clean water for about 4,000 displaced people at Menik Farm.
UMCOR recently purchased a tractor and water bowser to help alleviate the growing water and sanitation problems in the camp. The water will be transported daily to a designated camp site to provide clean water for families in need. The bowser can supply 12,000 liters of water per day and will operate for the next three months.
You can support this work by giving to Sri Lanka Relief and Development, UMCOR Advance #3020630.
In 2004, Casa Linda United Methodist Church in Garland, Texas was eager to start a Hispanic ministry. The church invited Edgar Bazan, originally from Monterrey, Mexico, to be their local pastor in charge of outreach ministry to the Hispanic community. Edgar and his wife Evelyn moved from Monterrey to the US with an R-1 religious worker visa.
In 2008, Mary Beth Garcia, a Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON) attorney in Dallas, Tex., collaborated with the North Texas Annual Conference, in assisting Edgar and Evelyn with the difficult I-360 application, which would enable Edgar to continue in ministry, live in the US and qualify for a green card. In December, Edgar and Evelyn's applications were approved. Today, Edgar is a student at Perkins School of Theology, pursuing ordination as a United Methodist elder while serving at Oak Cliff UMC in Dallas.
JFON assists its clients with immigration legal matters and application processes. Support this ministry by giving to JFON, UMCOR Advance #901285.
UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. You can also give online at givetomission.org. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.
United Methodist Committee on Relief
General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church
Room 330, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115
Voice Phone: 1-212-870-3816; FAX: 1-212-870-3624
Email: umcor@gbgm-umc.org
Web: http://www.umcor.org
UMCOR. Be There. Be Hope.
UMCOR's mission is to alleviate human suffering-whether caused by war, conflict, or natural disaster-with open minds and hearts to all people.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
