UMCOR approves $4 million tsunami project in Indonesia

Men mix concrete for houses being built in Bireuen Province, Indonesia, bythe United Methodist Committee on Relief in 2006. A UMNS file photo byMichelle R. Scott, UMCOR.

By Linda Bloom*
STAMFORD, Conn. (UMNS) - A $4 million project for continued tsunami recovery work in Indonesia has been approved by the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

That and other actions came as UMCOR directors met during the Oct. 8-11 annual meeting of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, its parent agency.

The "Reconstruction and Development for Aceh and Nias Project" is scheduled to begin in October and continue through March 31, 2010, in the Bireuen, Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar districts, Aceh Province and the South Nias district.

UMCOR's $4 million funding, from the $42 million it raised for tsunami relief, will be combined with $1.37 million from the American Red Cross to complete the project.

Aceh was hard-hit by the Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake and tsunami, and Nias Island, also part of North Sumatra, suffered both from those events and a March 28, 2005, earthquake. The project aims to improve community development in both areas through better houses, infrastructure, economic development, health care and community leadership.

Help for Haiti
In other action, two projects were approved for Haiti. Both have aspects related to food security, which is part of UMCOR's overall development strategy, according to the Rev. Sam Dixon, chief executive.

A grant of $172,413 was made to the UMCOR-NGO Haiti office to help implement livelihood and economic development activities for 500 households in the city of Gonaives. Those households had initially received assistance because of damage caused by Jeanne - which was a hurricane and a tropical storm at various times - in 2004.

The area is still recovering from Jeanne. "The interventions must address the medium to long-term needs and livelihoods of the local population and the activities may minimize the impact of a similar disaster in the future," the project recommendation said.

The other Haiti project, with a grant of $388,894, is designed to improve the livelihoods of storm survivors in Dondon, Haiti. The intensive yearlong program will combine food security and small-enterprise development through the distribution of improved seeds and tools, introduction of new crops, rehabilitation of existing coffee plantations, and provision of technical assistance and training.

Funding for the Haiti work comes from money originally designated for Grenada from UMCOR's Hurricanes 2004 account but not needed there, Dixon said.

Grants to Afghanistan, Mississippi
A $100,000 grant was approved for the UMCOR-NGO Afghanistan office to support operational costs over a three-month period. For the past five years, the office has worked in various provinces on re-integration programs for underserved and vulnerable populations and currently is developing new project proposals for outside donors.

To assist the denomination's Mississippi Annual (regional) Conference with continuing Hurricane Katrina recovery work, a $150,000 grant was approved toward the construction of two or three buildings that will serve as housing for volunteer teams and as storage facilities for relief materials.

A significant partner for UMCOR is Church World Service, the independent relief arm of the National Council of Churches, and directors approved a special $200,000 grant to the agency in addition to its annual support. The grant was sought because CWS funding for core programs and related services did not meet expected levels for the 2007 fiscal year.

"This is a way for us to provide some additional support for them," Dixon said.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.