Emergency Disaster Fund closes out year with large grant to Haiti following Hurricane Melissa, among others

Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed the last grants for 2025 from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) headed by a large grant of $120,000 to support the Hurricane Melissa recovery program of Églises des Frères d’Haïti (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) and $5,000 to support emergency relief in Cuba after Hurricane Melissa via ASIGLEH (the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela).

Also in this round of grants, $20,000 aids children in Gaza, $19,850 helps repair of a school in Uganda, $8,500 helps purchase a vehicle to support disaster and crisis response in Burundi, and $5,000 supports the response by Fundación Brethren y Unida to the humanitarian crisis in Ecuador

Find out more about Brethren Disaster Ministries at www.brethren.org/bdm

Support this work by giving financially to the Emergency Disaster Fund at https://churchofthebrethren.givingfuel.com/bdm

Haiti

$120,000 supports the Hurricane Melissa longterm recovery program of Églises des Frères d’Haïti, providing goats, seeds, tools, veterinary services, and home repairs to families affected by the storm.

Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, hit Caribbean islands between late October and early November including Jamaica, Cuba, and the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, it brought torrential rainfall, flooding, landslides, and destructive winds across the country’s southern and some western departments (states). It caused at least 43 deaths in Haiti, flooded more than 11,900 houses, and severely damaged roads and other infrastructure, leaving families in rural areas isolated and without assistance.

The greatest impact on the Haitian church communities is damage to agriculture, including both crops and animals, leaving many families with little food not destroyed in the storm or a harvest. This has drastic long-term impacts for many families that rely on their small farms and gardens to survive.

Complicating the situation is the continuation of Haiti’s multiple crises that include economic and political crises, gang violence, gender-based violence, kidnapping, a cholera outbreak, and very high inflation. These have merged into a spiraling humanitarian tragedy in the lowest per capita income country in the western hemisphere.

After Hurricane Melissa, members of the Church National Committee visited each congregation and their surrounding communities to assess needs and develop a response plan. The 588 families to be served with the grant funding come from the communities of Saut Mathurine, Bonbadopolis, Gonaïves, Savarin, Remon Saint, Saint Louis du Nord, Ouanaminthe, Cap Haïtien, Pignon, Marianne, and Saint Raphaël.

Cuba

$5,000 supports emergency relief from Hurricane Melissa in Cuba via ASIGLEH (the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela). The storm made landfall in Santiago de Cuba on Oct. 29 as a Category 3 hurricane causing flooding, landslides, and extensive damage. Prior to landfall, 735,000 people were evacuated and after the storm more than 60,000 homes were found to be totally or severely damaged. More than 3 million people were without electricity and other utilities.

Leadership from the church in Venezuela have been developing a relationship with pastors in Cuba. A grant request from the Venezuelan church asked for funds to provide food, household supplies, and bedding for families in 25 congregations in Cuba.

Gaza

$20,000 supports the Restoring Hope Campaign of Bethlehem Bible College’s Shepherd Society to provide up to 400 children in Gaza with 3D printed prostheses along with training, follow-up care, rehabilitation sessions, and psychosocial support/trauma recovery services.

Despite a ceasefire and a peace plan, life for Palestinians in Gaza continues to be exceedingly difficult and people are living in deplorable conditions with limited food, water, sanitation, and shelter. Levels of stress and trauma are extremely high among the children as well as adults.

This grant follows on a new request for additional support of the programing of the Shepherd Society, the humanitarian outreach arm of Bethlehem Bible College, an academic university college located in the West Bank. The Shepherd Society recently announced the Restoring Hope Campaign with the goal of raising at least $200,000 for a project to provide prosthetic limbs to up to 400 children in Gaza. The program also includes follow-up care with the child and family. According to UNICEF, Gaza has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world. There were an estimated 2,000 children in need of prostheses before the war. They have been joined by about 4,000-4,500 others since the war began.

Uganda

$19,850 supports the Church of the Brethren in Uganda’s work to repair a school that was badly damaged by a severe storm earlier this month. On the night of Sunday, Dec. 7, a severe storm passed over the town of Hima in the Kasese District where several Church of the Brethren congregations and ministries are located including the Radiant Star Junior School. The school was constructing a block of six classrooms at the time and the winds tore off the roof of three classrooms and severely damaged the brick walls. With both interior and exterior walls affected, the three classrooms are structurally unsafe and exposed to further weather.

The construction of the classroom block began in September to comply with government requirements to replace temporary wooden structures. After the storm, the church developed a response plan with two phases, first to stabilize what remains of the structure and walls of the three damaged classrooms, and second to complete the classrooms in compliance with government regulations. The repair of the school will benefit approximately 450 students, teachers, and support staff, and will indirectly benefit more than 1,000 members of the church.

Burundi

$8,500 supports the purchase a new Toyota Landcruiser for Burundi Church of the Brethren. The vehicle will support disaster response and crisis response activities as needed. The leadership of the church has been very active in both church planting, disaster response, and some community development. Working with an old and unreliable vehicle has made those activities more difficult. In response, various groups in the United States have donated funds toward purchase of a new vehicle with the Global Mission office having received more than $26,000 in donations from individuals, churches, districts, and Brethren World Mission.

A nonprofit based in Austria, BBM, working with Burundi Church of the Brethren found a Toyota Landcruiser 76 long to be the best option, at a price of 33,200 euros.

Ecuador

$5,000 supports the response by Fundación Brethren y Unida (FBU, Brethren and United Foundation), a historic partner of the Church of the Brethren, to the humanitarian crisis in Ecuador caused by gang violence and civil unrest.

The Ecuador security crisis began in January 2024 during a conflict between the government and organized crime, that included the escape of gang members from prison. Since then, there has been a surge in organized crime, drug trafficking, and violence, leading to a rise in homicides and violent incidents like prison massacres. Civil unrest has included protests over economic policies and in September a national strike/protest called by Indigenous and social organizations sparked by the elimination of a diesel fuel subsidy, leading to the declaration of a state of emergency in seven provinces.

FBU mobilized to provide critical aid to communities where it has long-standing relationships, such as San Miguel del Común, the Comunidad Jurídica de Cajas, and San Rafael in Otavalo. The grant provided support for distribution of food, medical supplies, drinking water, blankets, and hygiene kits to indigenous communities in need.

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