ONE MONTH LATER; TEN YEARS AHEAD -
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF SIZES UP DECADE OF WORK TO COME
Baltimore, January 27, 2005 - The furious work being undertaken by international relief and development organizations committed to the long-term rebuilding efforts needed in South Asia is happening, in large part, behind the scenes. “We’re working with local organizations in the affected countries to put systems in place that will guide our work, and, more importantly, enable us to efficiently monitor it over the long term,” comments Kathryn Wolford, president of Lutheran World Relief (LWR). LWR’s team of seasoned development professionals and disaster relief specialists has recently returned from the region; two additional staff have already been loaned to local partner organizations to help them scale-up their staffing and systems to ensure that they can effectively manage and monitor their relief and recovery efforts. LWR coordinates its aid efforts with local and international churches and aid agencies through its active participation in Action by Churches Together (ACT).
“It’s an instance like this when LWR’s approach to partnership truly pays off,” says Kelly Bauer, one of the LWR team that visited India. “We’ve worked with these partners for years, strengthening their capacities and building trusting relationships. When disasters hit, our partners are strong, capable organizations ready to provide the immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation services affected communities so desperately need.”
Bauer continues, “For example, we’ve worked for years with CASA, an LWR partner in India, and now they’re one of the most effective relief and development organizations in Asia. They are so capable that they’re influencing the way relief is conducted in India. They initiated the ID card system that many NGOs and government agencies are increasingly using during relief distribution. They are also helping coordinate the work of NGOs and advocating to the government for sound, respectful disaster response policies and practices.”
So with a ten-year picture guiding its work, Lutheran World Relief is being deliberate. “The relief phase is drawing to a close and we are already moving into rehabilitation,” adds Barbara Wetsig, LWR Associate Director for Asia, discussing the life cycle of a disaster and the phases that follow. “We will continue to work with existing partners and expand our outreach to new local organizations, with whom we will follow the same deliberate process of both helping them deliver much needed services to affected communities while at the same time ensuring they have strong organizational systems in place.”
The Reverend Mathew Harrison, director of St. Louis-based LCMS World Relief, whose organization is a major contributor to Lutheran World Relief says those organizational systems will be put to the test. Commenting on his recent visit to Sri Lanka, Harrison says, “the mounting death toll doesn’t tell the story of the extensive work to be done to restore the lives and livelihoods to the people affected by this disaster.” His photos, he said, didn’t accurately convey the scope of the devastation, or tell the stories of the people we may erroneously think of as poor children, for example, rooting through trash. “These are kids from good homes,” he comments about one such photo. “They were from well developed neighborhoods. These kids are searching for remnants of their lives before the wave hit,” he concludes.
Lutheran World Relief’s work with helping people develop ways to make a living shapes much of its work around the world. It will certainly do so in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, where LWR plans to concentrate its efforts. “We heard direct requests from people asking us to help them reveal and restore life,” says the Rev. Rafael Malpica-Padilla, executive director, Division for Global Mission for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). The ELCA, also a major funder of LWR, recently toured hard-hit areas in India with LWR staff and their partners there. “One way we will fulfill this request,” adds Malpica-Padilla, “is participating in the rehabilitation of livelihoods. We will push back the constant wave of poverty, discrimination and marginalization,” he continues, “with the goal of building dignity in disaster and justice in life.”
“That goal,” according to Wolford, “obviously encompasses more than just erecting replacement houses and repairing roads and wells. That’s why we have a $10 million goal,” she adds. “It will enable us to carry out the three phases of our work over a ten year period. We are so thankful for the amazing generous response we’ve been blessed with over the last month. And we encourage people to make supporting LWR a regular part of their individual giving,” she continues. “This long-term approach is the same approach we take in other areas of the world, to which we apply undesignated funds (those not made specifically to tsunami relief, for example) to meet other pressing needs.
Lutheran World Relief launched its $10-million WAVE OF GIVING™ campaign to fund its rebuilding efforts in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In just its first month, WAVE OF GIVING™ has generated more than $6 million. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans established a $2 million matching grant benefiting WAVE OF GIVING™, in addition to a $1 million gift. The matching grant is extended to all 2.8 million Thrivent Financial members across the country. Thrivent Financial member donations to LWR will be matched dollar for dollar through April 15, 2005, up to $2 million. So far, generous Thrivent members have contributed just over $1 million.
WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
For more information contact Emily Sollie at esollie@lwr.org or 410-230-2802.
