Displaying items by tag: Aid

More than a year has passed since the coronavirus pandemic was declared. World Vision, a leading evangelical interdenominational aid organisation, has partnered with tens of thousands of faith leaders and communities worldwide to reach 59 million people through relief and virus prevention efforts. As the world was shutting down, World Vision kept working, fulfilling the purpose God has bestowed on the organisation and its staff. ‘Covid-19 has been our largest domestic and international response that we’ve ever organised. It’s been a remarkable amount of work and just a wonderful opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this really, really challenging time’, said a World Vision representative.

The following is part of a translation from a Russian political blogger: ‘A Syrian donor conference opened in Brussels under the guidance of the UN and EU. It included non-governmental organisations of Syria who are officially trying to distance themselves from Middle Eastern affairs, but at the same time retain a presence there.’ Their objectives were raising funds for the Syrian population and refugees and resuming Syria’s negotiations with UN help. The blogger said, ‘Syria has become an arena of global confrontation, where each of the external players is solving its own tasks in the region. In these conditions, there can be no question of any observance of the law of war. Hence - the use of poisonous substances, mercenaries, the use of the local population as hostages.’ He also said that these attempts to help refugees reflect idealism, and where there is idealism there is hope - hope for peace.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) boycotted a UN donor conference in Geneva that was seeking to raise £1.2bn for the country. Over 13 million Congolese need humanitarian aid. It is a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Aid agencies say 4.5 million people have been forced from their homes by violence, hunger and instability. Tens of thousands of Congolese have sought refuge in western Uganda. DRC is rich in mineral and other resources, but is affected by armed conflicts, corruption and a political crisis. In the past two years, more people have been displaced in DRC than in any other country. Many believe the international community is ignoring the crisis, where two million children are at risk of starvation.

Heavy fighting stopped another aid convoy from attending civilians in eastern Ghouta. ‘The situation is evolving on the ground, which doesn’t allow us to carry out the operation in such conditions’, said a spokeswoman for the Red Cross. Syrian government forces divided the besieged enclave in two; further squeezing rebels and tens of thousands of civilians trapped there. At least 87 civilians were killed on 7 March, and dozens were also treated for breathing difficulties, after airstrikes hit eastern Ghouta late that same day. Medics reported symptoms consistent with a toxic attack. The observatory said 60+ people were left struggling to breathe after barrel bombs hit the towns of Saqba and Hammuriyeh. Doctors at one medical facility treated at least 29 patients for chlorine exposure, and it is likely that more victims were treated at other clinics.

Massive wildfires in California have killed 31 people, and damaged thousands of homes and businesses. 8,000 firefighters, supported by 124 aircraft, are battling 22 wildfires, intensified by strong winds, in areas declared to be in a state of emergency. Flames have charred 170,000+ acres and damaged or destroyed 3,500+ structures, forcing the evacuation of 25,000 residents. Pray for comfort for those who have lost loved ones, and for the healing of hundreds being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. Ask God to strengthen those who have lost everything, and pray for the hundreds of missing people to be found alive and safe. Remember police as they strive to prevent looting, and for hospitals and homes without electricity. One sheriff said the wildfires are ‘one of the worst natural disasters in California’s history.’

On 30 August the Israel Rescue Coalition sent members of a psychotrauma and crisis response unit to Houston, to aid those who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey. ‘People need help on the ground,’ said Dov Maisel. ‘They need to be able to wrap their minds around what was lost, and they need assistance figuring out how to cope and where to go from here.’ Maisel’s previous experience includes serving in Haiti in 2016 following Hurricane Matthew, and in Nepal in 2015 after a devastating earthquake. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's administration has not yet decided whether to accept assistance from Mexico to help the victims. The Mexican government expressed its ‘full solidarity’ with the people and government of the US, and said it had ‘offered to provide help and cooperation’ in the wake of Harvey. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, Mexico provided soldiers to help serve meals, distribute supplies, and conduct medical consultations.

The United Nations says it needs $4.4 billion by July to prevent famine in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and northeastern Nigeria. U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien, who just returned from field missions to the affected countries, told Security Council members Friday that the United Nations is facing its largest humanitarian crisis since the organization's creation. He said that without the necessary funding and full, safe and unimpeded access for aid workers, people will die.

"We stand at a critical point in history," O'Brien told council members. "Now, more than 20 million people across four countries face starvation and famine. Without collective and coordinated global efforts, people will simply starve to death."He said all the regions on the brink of famine have one thing in common: They are conflict zones.

March 10, 2017 7:02 PM, VOANews.com

Let’s pray for God’s intervention. This is truly a God-sized crisis that so often is not even mentioned in the media. Pray for His deliverance of these dear people that will die if they do not get relief in time. Pray for an end to these senseless conflicts, for the UN and for the humanitarian organizations as they seek to bring aid and that those caught in this unbearable situation-adults and children- will find both spiritual hope and physical deliverance through faith in Jesus Christ