Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed grants from the Church of the Brethren Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to a rebuilding project site in Pamlico County, N.C.; Syrians displaced by civil war; and people displaced by the war in Yemen. To support these grants financially, give online at https://churchofthebrethren.givingfuel.com/bdm.
North Carolina
An allocation of $52,000 funds the remainder of Brethren Disaster Ministries’ Hurricane Florence rebuilding project in Pamlico County, aiding people affected by the 2018 hurricane.
In August 2020, Brethren Disaster Ministries moved this rebuilding project from Robeson County to Pamlico County, where Pamlico County Disaster Relief Coalition (PCDRC) has been a main work partner. Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers and project managers worked at the project almost every week from September 2020 through May 2021. From September 2020 through April 2021, 193 volunteers served more than 14,950 hours to help 25 families. Plans were then made to return this fall to continue support for the area from November 2021 to April 2022.
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff are in close communication with all partners on the site and is monitoring guidance from the CDC and local officials to determine the safety of each weekly group scheduled to travel. Many COVID-19 protocols have been established and documented for leaders and volunteers to follow onsite.
This grant will serve qualified hurricane survivors with repair and rebuilding assistance they might not receive otherwise. The funding will be used for tools, equipment, volunteer housing, volunteer meals, and leadership.
Lebanon and Syria
An allocation of $30,000 supports the Lebanese Society for Education and Social Development’s winter weather aid projects for displaced Syrians.
The Syrian civil war started with protest and major unrest in March of 2011. Ten years later, while the war has ended and there is increased stability in the country, much of the infrastructure is destroyed and most Syrians live in hardship due to dire economic conditions and lack of access to food. There are close to 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, causing heavy economic, environmental, and social tolls in that country as well.
The project goal in Syria is to support 7,500 vulnerable families–about 37,500 individuals–through the provision of winter clothing, blankets, and electric heaters. In Lebanon, the goal is to support 5,000 vulnerable Syrian refugee families–about 22,500 individuals–with blankets, mattresses, carpets, jackets, and emergency lights. Heating stoves and fuel will also be provided, if possible, alongside ongoing food distribution programs.
Yemen
An allocation of $5,000 supports the air shipment of hygiene kits from the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., to displaced people in Yemen. The shipment is made in partnership with Corus, the new umbrella organization for merged programs of Lutheran World Relief and IMA World Health.
More than four years of fighting in Yemen has left more than two thirds of the population–24.1 million people–in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Yemen has become the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.
Corus is working in Yemen to reduce food insecurity and provide safe access to drinking water for displaced people and host communities. The food security program is providing a mix of direct food assistance and cash microgrants. Corus also is promoting good hygiene practices by distributing personal care hygiene kits and conducting behavior change campaigns. A total of 3,000 hygiene kits will be shipped with a budget of $25,000 as part of the broader Corus response in Yemen.
To support these grants financially, give online at https://churchofthebrethren.givingfuel.com/bdm.
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
Find more Church of the Brethren news:
- Annual Conference 2024 invites Church of the Brethren to gather in Grand Rapids
- Annual Conference officers return query regarding congregational latitude on matters of human sexuality
- Silent Auction to benefit translation expenses and the general Annual Conference budget
- Mission and Ministry Board completes Kingian Nonviolence training, works at envisioning
- Leadership Team issues clarification on On Earth Peace membership with Supportive Communities Network