Blog Archives
CBS Special Highlights Religious Response in Haiti
From a recent Global Ministries press release:
Examining the faith community’s ongoing assistance to survivors of last January’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, the CBS Television Network will broadcast the religion special “Haiti: Religion’s Response to Disaster” on Dec. 5.
After a 7.0 magnitude earthquake ravaged Haiti, some of the first responders were faith-based relief organizations. These groups continue to assist Haitian survivors.
The special chronicles faith-based groups’ relief efforts begun immediately after the quake and the progress made in the past 10 months. Members of Church World Service (CWS), Catholic Relief Services, Jewish Distribution Committee and United Methodist Committee on Relief share stories about their work with viewers.
Here is a listing of confirmed broadcast times (which can be sorted by state). Plan ahead – you may have to set your dvr to record it if you’re in a 4 am broadcast market.
Celebrating Ecumenical Efforts
In April and May of this year, Disciples Volunteering and Week of Compassion invited Disciples to participate in a special project sponsored by Church World Service. Dubbed “Neighborhood: Cedar Rapids,” the project brought together more than 500 volunteers from 10 denominations to rebuild 12 homes severely damaged in the Iowa flood of 2008. Lutheran Disaster Response has now released a short video celebrating that effort. As we continue to look for ways to work with our partners in faith, we give thanks for projects like “Neighborhood: Cedar Rapids” that bring us together to serve and witness in Jesus’ name.
Update from partners in Haiti
Church World Service offers an update of conditions on the ground in Haiti via Don Tatlock. Don is “CWS project manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, [and] has been coordinating the CWS Haiti earthquake response in Port-au-Prince. Don shares these words from Herode Guillaumettre, director of Christian Center of Integrated Development (SKDE). SKDE works with CWS on issues of food security and has set-up a clinic in Lilavois, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. According to Guillaumettre:
We are thankful for our brothers and sisters in Christ who have not forgotten about us. We are still treating many of the injured and sick and we are feeding them and giving them water. There will be many needs in the future including housing for many who lost their homes. Many are now in tents or home made tents made out of plastic and sleeping in the streets and parks.
Don also reports speaking with Ernst Abraham, executive director of Service Chretien d’Haiti, a CWS partner since 1954. Abraham shared that:
Knowing what the needs are and being able to distribute the aid had a lot of advantages than just setting up a temporary distribution area. Our distribution is very different in that we are personally delivering the kits, food and water by our staff and trained volunteers, instead of large distribution centers with long lines.
Don concludes with this observation:
The emotional toll the people have suffered is still unknown; however, in general Haitians are very resilient people and only time will tell of the lingering deep emotional effects of the earthquake.
