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NEWS: FOOD AND CLOTHING FOR DR CONGO
Last year’s conflict between the government and rebel forces in North Kivu placed a significant strain on already limited resources for the more than 85,000 internally displaced people registered in the city of Kiwandja in Rutshuru district. North Kivu is a province bordering Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Displaced populations are staying in formal camps or have gathered in public spaces like churches and schools. Others have integrated into existing families.
In an effort to diminish the burden of inter-community stress between the internally displaced and host families supporting new arrivals, UMCOR is supporting the United Methodist Church in DR Congo to provide supplemental food support to approximately 2,500 individuals for one month.
Through UMCOR support, households will add items like flour, corn, and beans to their food baskets. In addition, 1,000 children and 500 women who are either displaced or part of a host family will receive quality used clothing.
Support emergency relief projects like that of North Kivu with your gifts to DR Congo Emergency, Advance 198400.
PRAYER: HAITI HEALTH BOARD TRAINING
Please pray for UMCOR staff in Haiti where the first health board training will be held this week in partnership with the L’Eglise Methodiste d’Haiti (EMH), the Methodist Church of Haiti. EMH health professionals and circuit leaders will come together to determine the health priorities and strategies for Haitian communities which UMCOR serves. Intercede with Proverbs 3:5-6.
UMCOR OPENINGS: WASH TECHNICAL OFFICER, NY
UMCOR is seeking a WASH Technical Officer to provide technical Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education (WASH) guidance to UMCOR field offices and grassroots partners around the world.
The WASH Technical Officer will be responsible for managing the WASH grant portfolio for UMCOR Health and Development, which includes reviewing grant applications and providing technical feedback to applicants. It also involves creating a framework for UMCOR’s core WASH program areas. Visit the careers page to learn more.
RESOURCE: SYRIA
Since March 2011, the Syrian conflict has claimed over 70,000 lives and displaced 4.25 million people internally, including more than 1.6 million Syrians who are being hosted in foreign countries. This event is placing an unprecedented strain on communities, infrastructure and services. Thankfully, material support like UMCOR relief kits brings peace of mind to conflict-affected families who have lost their jobs and are unable to provide for their children due to the Syrian crisis.
A new resource on Syria relief highlights UMCOR and on-the-ground partner support to provide 70,450 relief supply kits including health, school, birthing and layette kits to the most vulnerable populations in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Learn more about UMCOR’s Syria response here.
MEDIA: FROM UMVIM TO UMCOR WITH GREG FORRESTER
In this video, Greg Forrester, UMCOR’s US Disaster Response executive, shares that he once volunteered as a fire fighter just to have a place to sleep. Little did he know that this experience and his work with UM Volunteers in Mission would be the door opener to his call in disaster response ministry. Learn more about Forrester by watching now.
