HOTLINE - week of July 21, 2008

Almost 200,000 people in eastern Chad have been displaced as conflict within Chad has combined with both cross border violence and refugees from the war in the neighboring Darfur region of Sudan.

"The 'Darfur problem' is broader than Darfur," says Japp Aantjes, a humanitarian worker with CWS-partner Lutheran World Federation.

The conflict in Darfur has become a regional one, and humanitarian needs stemming from the violence and suffering are affecting civilians in both countries. Church World Service is working in coalition with ACT International to respond to the needs of the people of both countries uprooted and affected by the violence.

In Habile and Aradib camps in Chad, CWS-supported programs are providing water, sanitation, and psychosocial programs for some 45,000 internally displaced people.

After almost four years, Church World Service continues to work in coalition with Action by Churches Together to help more than 250,000 people in Darfur affected by ongoing violence in the region.

People are benefitting from water and sanitation programs, health and nutrition assistance, psychosocial care, peacebuilding initiatives, agricultural assistance, and support for schools and the education of youngsters affected by the conflict.

You can help meet needs in Chad and the Darfur region of Sudan by giving today.

Some 160 children in two slum neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, are empowering themselves by receiving a basic education, skills-training (sewing, embroidery, cooking), and personal care and development assistance, with support from Church World Service and local partner The Ecumenical Foundation for Peace and Justice.

The children, mostly girls ages 10 – 17, are child domestic workers and are at a heightened risk of abuse within their host households, including sexual violence, prostitution, substance abuse, and other dangers. The program works to educate the children as well as their host families and community about these and other issues. In addition, the children learn about human rights and peaceful ways to resolve conflicts, and receive hot nutritional meals and school supplies to help them learn and grow.

As flood-ravaged parts of the central U.S. begin the road to recovery, Church World Service is working with the faith community to help meet the unmet needs of the most vulnerable victims.

CWS is assisting response and recovery efforts in hard-hit states such as Iowa and Wisconsin and is providing material resources, such as Emergency Clean-up Buckets, helping to identify areas of need, and is supporting long-term recovery efforts with training and project development as needed. And, communities and congregations across the country are pitching in to help.

Earlier this month, Terry Tangeman, a retired UPS employee and now a volunteer with the disaster response ministry of the United Church of Christ in northwest Ohio, delivered a truckload of Emergency Clean-up Buckets to the CWS Elkhart, IN, office for use in flood recovery in the central U.S.

"It's a real good community project," says Tangeman. "When we put out a plea, they always come through. Some of the congregations don't feel like collecting items, so they send money."

Jonathan Duval also dropped off a load of Clean-up Buckets this past week, from Willimantic, Connecticut. This YouTube clip provides a quick glimpse of the experience.

CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets enable people to begin the overwhelming job of cleaning up after flood waters have subsided. Learn more.

Your prayers and support - and your participation in CROP WALKS and the TOOLS & BLANKETS Program - make possible these and other life sustaining programs. For information on how to get involved, please call your Church World Service/CROP Regional Office toll-free at 1-888-CWS-CROP, that's 1-888-297-2767.

For information about free loan videos, please call 1-800-297-1516, ext. 338, or e-mail us at: videos@churchworldservice.org.

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