HOTLINE - week of July 07, 2008

The worst of the flooding in the central U.S. may be behind us, but massive clean-up and recovery are now ahead for families whose homes have been damaged or destroyed. CWS Emergency Response Specialists have been assessing needs in affected areas, planning for long-term recovery, training, and projects.

You and your congregation can help respond to flood-related needs with your donations and by making CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets. Before July 31, buckets can be transported or shipped to either our Elkhart, IN, office, the Brethren Service Center, New Windsor, MD, or Fernwood Center, Little Rock, AR. After July 31, they can be shipped to the Brethren Service Center or the Fernwood Center.

"Enclosed is my stimulus check from the U.S. government," wrote Bill Merriman in a recent note to Church World Service. "The people of Myanmar need it more than we need it to stimulate our economy... I know that any support for CWS gets to those who need it most."

Following Cyclone Nargis, which swept over the Irrawaddy Delta on May 3, Church World Service provided emergency temporary shelter and fresh water supplies sufficient for nearly one million survivors.

As part of the recovery process, farmers in 11 townships are receiving seed stock, field preparation tools, and basic equipment to ensure next season’s crops and future food security. Farmers have until the end of this month to recover their fields and paddies and get rice seed in the ground for next season's crops.

Some 37,500 households (about 187,500 people) in 150 rural villages in Malawi, southern Africa, are gaining access to clean water, with the help of Church World Service and long-time partner Christian Service Committee. In rural Malawi, only 32 percent of the people have access to a safe water supply.

In this three-year project, people in each village are providing labor and locally available materials to help construct one borehole. Each cluster of five villages is also helping to rehabilitate two existent boreholes.

The main goals of the project are to provide clean water to help prevent waterborne disease, and to reduce the burden on women and girls who are responsible for fetching water and assuring their family's health.

Village health and water committees are being trained to manage, maintain, and repair their community's new water systems. Villagers are also learning about better hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, the benefits of educating girl children, environmental conservation practices, and the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

As millions of people across the globe face malnutrition because of skyrocketing food prices, Church World Service continues to help communities in many countries improve their food security. In Nicaragua, some 57 women leaders in 19 rural communities are developing three women-headed revolving funds to promote local development and food security initiatives, with the help of Church World Service, Foods Resource Bank, and local partner the Council of Evangelical Churches for a Denominational Alliance (CEPAD).

Rural Nicaraguan women produce much of the food their families consume. But they have lacked many of the resources available to men, including access to credit, title to land, and technological assistance in improving productivity and diversification. Though this is slowly changing, many women remain in need of training and resources to allow them to improve conditions for their families.

Through the CEPAD project, the women are learning to create and administer revolving funds for project development and to identify, educate, and train at least 50 additional women who will receive loans. The goal is for each fund to be self-sustainable.

The women are also strengthening their participation in local development initiatives and community affairs, and building stronger links with other community-based organizations with similar goals.

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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