Stirring the Waters

Women in Church and Society (WICAS) Asian Regional Consultation
17-22 April 2006 Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Keeping track of our discussions and meetings, and keeping others in the LWF Youth Consultation up-to-date.

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Thursday, April 20, 2006

Presentation: Tsunami & the Church’s response

Afternoon presentation from the tsunami affected countries

Participants from India, Thailand and Indonesia presented reports on the church’s action and challenges in response to the tsunami devastation of December 2004. For more information please click the appropriate links below.

India – Vidhya Rani
Actions include supplying clothing, rations, stoves, storage, boats, nets, motors and other fishing equipment to local fishing communities.

A free medical store and a medical camp were provided to attend to victims. Children were counseled and supplied with books, bags, stationery, uniforms and health checks in order to get them back to school.

Self-help groups and Entrepreneurial Development Programs (EDP) were started for the men and the women, and villages were reconstructed.

To prepare for future disasters, training in first aid was provided and youth response teams were formed. Networks in the community and church were established, as well as an information system including pre-warning documentation.

Challenges include acceptance/inclusion of others, interfaith and gender issues, social/caste dynamics, needs versus expectations, conflict resolution.

To read this report please click here.

Thailand – Saiphan Jakleang
Actions include provision of food, blankets, drinking water, medicine and fishing equipment. Houses, schools and centers for the local people have been built, and volunteers have been sharing the gospel with them in order to encourage them.

Counseling has been provided to help affected people overcome the grief of their losses, and re-training has been provided for many of the local men, who were fishermen, to provide more career options.

Indonesia – Nelly Maria Msi Hutahaean
Actions include general care for victims. One church reported adopting 100 children, both orphans and those whose families had economic difficulties. They supplied money and clothes, and provided education.

A major challenge is the lack of money given to the churches for church development/re-development.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

i appreciate the LWF Asian women for having discussed the importance of water. i am impressed by the title of the consulatation "Stirring Water". All the sharings and the presentations are challenging and are relevant for our times. i wish that all of us become sensitise to the issue of water, for water is life. let the Church take a lead in sensitising, and be a model in this regard.

Rev.Raj Bharath Patta,
Executive Secretary, CEE, Dalit and Youth Concerns,
National COuncil of Churches in India,
Nagpur, India

5:04 PM  

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