UMCOR - Ways You Can Help

HAITI: ONE YEAR OF RELIEF AND RECOVERY

A year ago, on January 12, an earthquake shook Haiti and provoked massive damage. About 75 percent of the capital city crumbled, and rubble was piled high in the streets. Some 3 million people were affected, including a million left homeless and hundreds of thousands dead or injured.

Over the course of the past 12 months, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has worked with partners in Haiti and the United States to bring relief and recovery to earthquake survivors. While the pace of recovery in 2010 has been slow, it has laid a foundation for greater progress.

“A lot of what we’ve been doing in 2010 have been pilot projects,” said Melissa Crutchfield, UMCOR executive for International Disaster Response. “We’ve planted the seeds; we can improve and expand.

Crutchfield and the Rev. Jim Gulley will speak at a memorial service on Wednesday in Port-au-Prince. A delegation that includes UMCOR head Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey, Global Ministries General Secretary Thomas Kemper, Bishop Bruce Ough, and Bishop Janice Huie will arrive in Haiti on Thursday.

UMCOR is grateful to United Methodists and others of goodwill who have contributed so generously to our relief and recovery work in Haiti. Your generosity has placed UMCOR among the top ten organizations in terms of funds raised for Haiti recovery, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Read more.

 One hundred percent of your gift to Haiti Emergency, UMCOR Advance #418325, supports the people of Haiti in their efforts to rebuild their lives and their country. Learn more.

SUDAN: INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM

After a referendum on southern independence, which began last weekend, peace in Sudan may be turning a new corner. The referendum is part of a comprehensive peace accord signed between the Khartoum government in the North and a rebel movement in the South in 2005.

Whatever the results of the vote, the need for the education, water and sanitation, and other projects UMCOR is developing in both North and South will only intensify. Read about how UMCOR’s development programs help build an infrastructure of peace.

Your support for Sudan Emergency, UMCOR Advance #184385, helps the people of Sudan build a better future.

ARMENIA: HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS DAY, JANUARY 11

Mariam (not her real name) was only 17 when she was deceived and sold into prostitution. She nearly died in her efforts to resist. Ultimately, Tania was deported to her native Armenia, identified as a trafficking survivor, and referred to an UMCOR shelter for assistance. There, she is rebuilding her life.

The US Senate has designated January 11 as a “National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness.” The US State Department estimates that 12.3 million people are currently in forced labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution around the world. Most of those affected are adult women and children.

Your gift to Anti-Human-Trafficking, UMCOR Advance #33615, helps survivors of this abuse deal with trauma and develop skills that will allow them a new life. UMCOR leverages the donations of concerned United Methodists with other government and institutional contributions and general agency resources to advance our work in this vital program area.

JFON: WELCOMING A NEW CITIZEN FROM BURMA

Moethee Zun has played an important role in the struggle for democracy in Burma, now called Myanmar and ruled by a military junta. In March 1989, Moethee fled to neighboring Thailand, and in May 2001, was admitted to the United States as a refugee.

UMCOR’s Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) program represented Moethee when he applied for residency in 2002 and again, four years later, when he applied for naturalization. Although he met all the statutory requirements for naturalization, his application languished for almost three years.

Moethee’s petition was ultimately rejected on the grounds he may have provided material support to Burmese pro-democracy groups. Moethee sustained that he provided only humanitarian aid. JFON filed a federal appeal on Moethee’s behalf and a week later, his application for citizenship was approved.

Your gift to Justice for Our Neighbors, UMCOR Advance # 901285, helps asylum seekers and other immigrants navigate the maze of rules and laws that affect their lives in the United States. Read JFON’s monthly newsletter, First Monday.

UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. You can also give online by clicking on any of the "Give Now" links. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.

And, please pray for those who are hungry, displaced, sick or in poverty because of these and other natural and human-made disasters, and for the workers who minister to them.