Learn how to bring comfort and care to children following human-caused and natural disasters. Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) is preparing to hold four volunteer training events in February and March next year.
A number of grants have been made recently from Church of the Brethren denominational funds including the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) for disaster relief, the Global Food Initiative fund (GFI) for food security, and the Brethren Faith in Action fund (BFIA) to support congregational outreach projects.
The Brethren Disaster Ministries team is searching for volunteer or paid consultants to support the completion of a program evaluation of our domestic disaster ministries for future planning and grant possibilities.
Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) will be serving on Sunday, Sept. 14, with a team of three volunteers providing care and a calm presence for young children at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds Local Assistance Center (LAC) in Sonoma, Calif. The LAC has been organized in response to the Lightning Fire Complex.
On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane and became one of the most deadly and destructive storms on record. Twenty years later, Brethren Disaster Ministries remembers the impact, response, collaboration, innovation, and recovery on the Gulf Coast.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed two $10,000 grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to a flood relief program of ASIGLEH (the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela) and to the work of partner organization Child Life Disaster Relief.
Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) is very excited to have new volunteer trainings scheduled for the Spring of 2026 in addition to the Fall of 2025. Join a CDS volunteer training and learn how to bring comfort and care to children following disasters.
In response to a request from the Red Cross, Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) is sending two Critical Response Childcare teams to Texas to care for children affected by last weekend’s flash flooding. One team of four has arrived in Kerrville. The other team of four will be leaving in the next few days.
“Growing up in a small country I always wanted to try new things,” said Lieketseng “Keke” Phooko, who hails from Lesotho, a country entirely surrounded by South Africa. “I always wanted to be outside of my home country to practice English.” Phooko has been able to do these things, and so much more, working for Brethren Disaster Ministries.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed large grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to support Eglise des Freres au Congo (Church of the Brethren in the DRC) providing a six-month emergency humanitarian aid program for families affected by war, and to a program being developed by the Church of the Brethren Mission in South Sudan. Also among recent grants, funding was provided for the Hurricane Helene response of Brethren Disaster Ministries.
