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NEWS: Food Aid to Storm-Affected Peru
Freezing temperatures and snow in parts of the southern Andean region of Puno, Peru, claimed at least six lives earlier this month. The cold weather affected about 80,000 mostly poor highlanders and killed more than 250,000 domestic animals including sheep, llamas, and alpacas—a main source of livelihood. Peru officials called this the coldest weather to hit the country's southern region in a decade.
Northeast of Puno, in Tilali district, some 12,380 people have been affected, with 132 homes destroyed and 738 homes rendered uninhabitable.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) responded with a grant to PROVEA (Program of Volunteers in Action) of the Methodist Church of Peru to provide emergency food for 700 of the most vulnerable individuals affected by the cold spell and snow. About 115 families residing in camps in five communities in Puno, as well as migrants transiting through Arica, or residing outside these target areas, will benefit from the much-needed food assistance.
Support this work with your gifts to International Disaster Response, Advance #982450.
PRAYER: Pray for Flood Survivors and for Peace
UMCOR is supporting local church relief and recovery efforts in Colorado after severe flooding raged across 17 counties in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains last week. Please continue to pray for flood-affected survivors as they begin the overwhelming job of cleanup. Intercede with Isaiah 43:1-3.
Pray, too, for the survivors of floods and landslides in Mexico. Residents of 24 of Mexico’s 31 states were affected when two fierce tropical storms pelted the country from the east and from the west last week. At least 110 people are known to have died, while another 68 remain missing and unaccounted for. UMCOR is responding with emergency grants.
And please pray for peace. In recent days, our world has witnessed horrific scenes of violence, from the siege of a Nairobi, Kenya, shopping mall, to the bombing of a church in Pakistan, to the shooting deaths in the Washington Navy Yard and in the Back of the Yards neighborhood in Chicago. At least 165 people died in total in the three events and many more were left hurt and traumatized. Please also add Israel and Palestine to your prayers for peace this week.
CAREERS: UMCOR and Global Ministries Openings
The General Board of Global Ministries and UMCOR have positions open across multiple units, sectors, and countries. Visit the Careers webpage to learn more.
RESOURCE: Armenia: World Food Day Bulletin Insert
For nearly 20 years, UMCOR has been working to increase food security and improve health and nutrition for vulnerable populations in Armenia.
Download and share Food Security in Armenia in observance of World Food Day, October 16. You can collect a special offering on Sundays to support UMCOR in its work to help the most vulnerable people develop their own capacity to grow food.
MEDIA: Healthcare Needs in Goma, DRC
Fighting in North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has displaced more than a million people, and many have sought refuge in formal camps, churches, or schools. This event is placing a significant strain on already limited resources.
Watch Dr. Richard Letshu of the Eastern Congo Health Council of the United Methodist Church, as he discusses the challenges of internally displaced populations in the city of Goma, and his commitment to provide quality access to health services there.
