UMCOR Advance: You CAN Make a Difference

ARMENIA: ENDING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Alisa (not her real name) fell prey to a human trafficker in her hometown in Armenia. She was just 20 years old and the single mother of an infant child. The trafficker forced her into prostitution by threatening to take away her baby. He kept her enslaved and took all the money she made.

One night, more than a year after her ordeal began, Alisa happened to catch on a television news ticker the hotline number for UMCOR Armenia’s human-trafficking prevention program. She called the number and was referred to UMCOR’s shelter, while police arrested the trafficker.

Alisa received not only a way out of her tragic situation but, also, a way into a new life, thanks to the shelter, where she also received counseling to deal with her trauma and skills that would help her find a job and support her child. Read more.

More than 12 million women, children, and men around the world share Alisa’s plight. In the US, the number increases during major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, set for February 6. Read more about UMCOR’s Anti-Trafficking project , and visit United Methodist Women’s Intercept Trafficking web pages.

Your gift to Anti-Human-Trafficking, UMCOR Advance #333615, makes a difference in the lives of women, children and men who have been trafficked and sold into slavery.

EVENT: SOUPER BOWL OF CARING FEBRUARY 6

Since its inception in 1990, the youth-led Souper Bowl of Caring has raised an astonishing $72 million for hunger-relief organizations across the United States. This year, 15,455 youth groups have registered for the event that runs from January 17 through Super Bowl Sunday, February 6.

This year’s goal is to raise $11 million in cash and cans for the hungry, superseding last year’s total of $10 million. Participating groups decide where and how the food and funds they raise are to be distributed to alleviate hunger in their neighborhoods.

Learn more about Souper Bowl of Sharing and register to participate at www.souperbowl.org. Give to UMCOR’s World Hunger and Poverty program, UMCOR Advance #982920.

HAITI: CORAIL CAMP SCHOOLS INAUGURATED

On January 26, a large group of Haitian and international representatives gathered in Corail resettlement camp to inaugurate the opening of a transitional schools built last year. More than 700 students are already registered to begin classes, and 13 teachers have been contracted.

The construction of the school was implemented by UMCOR in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Project Services, and funded by Emergency Relief Response Fund, managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The gathering referred to the handing over of the school to Haiti’s Ministry of Education as a “victory.” A parent representative said that with the opening of the school, a “major problem” had been solved for the children of Corail.

One hundred percent of your gift to Haiti Emergency, UMCOR Advance #418325, helps the people of Haiti recover from last year’s devastating earthquake.

CHILE: CHURCH RATIFIES HUMANITARIAN RELIEF ARM

Just before the powerful earthquake of February 2010 in Chile, UMCOR provided disaster preparedness training to members of Iglesia Metodista de Chile (IMECH, Methodist Church of Chile), who later became the Methodist Humanitarian Aid Team (EMAH).

EMAH played a crucial role in the wake of the earthquake, aiding survivors and to this day, providing much needed assistance in the ongoing recovery effort. At its recent General Conference, IMECH recognized that role and ratified the establishment of EMAH.

Your gift to Chile Emergency, UMCOR Advance #3021178, supports the Chilean people’s recovery efforts.

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.