Nigerian troops have found two of the former schoolgirls abducted from Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists eight years ago, Mary Dauda and Hauwa Joseph. In a related development, EYN leadership celebrate the return of Mary Iliya, who was abducted in 2020 by jihadists from Bolakile. Also recently freed is Rebecca Irmiya.
Brethren Disaster Ministries is monitoring the deadly earthquake that struck in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 22. Staff are monitoring an expanding crisis in the horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya) where an extreme drought, soaring food prices, and high fuel costs are adding to a massive humanitarian crisis.
Coming this October, Brethren Disaster Ministries will be offering a short-term rebuilding response to the 2021 Kentucky winter storms event. This three-week response will be in partnership with Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to various needs in recent weeks. A main focus has been the needs of Ukrainian refugees, with major grants going to Church World Service (CWS) relief focused on Ukrainian refugees sheltering in Moldova, to aid displaced Ukrainians with disabilities through L’Arche International, and to Child Life Disaster Relief programming for an orphanage in Ukraine.
Material Resource staff Scott Senseney and Jeffrey Brown loaded three 40-foot containers with a total of 1,120 bales of Lutheran World Relief Quilts, shipping them to the Republic of Georgia. The two men are on the staff of the Material Resources program based at warehouse facilities at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
Six CRC-trained CDS volunteers have been in Uvalde for the past week and to date have had 157 child contacts during their time in the Family Assistance Center.
A team of six Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) volunteers traveled this morning to Uvalde, Texas, to provide specialized assistance to children and families impacted by the shooting. These volunteers are experienced and specially trained for critical responses that involved the loss of lives.
This year, the National Youth Conference (NYC) 2022 Office has partnered with Brethren Disaster Ministries and the Brethren Disaster Relief Auction in Pennsylvania to collect certain school supplies to assemble Church World Service (CWS) school kits. The auction already has contributed $20,000 to this project.
Brethren Disaster Ministries is directing the latest grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to a relief response to the Russia-Ukraine war, and to support a National Youth Conference (NYC) service project making School Kits.
The Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to support the work of Church World Service (CWS) responding to the Ukraine refugee crisis; to support long-term programing and a new house construction phase of the 2021 Haiti earthquake response; and to finance the opening and initial phase of a new Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding project site doing flood recovery in Waverly, Tenn.; among other recent grants.
