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Methodist Relief and Development Fund

 

7 January 2011

Haitian Methodist President and Secretary to visit UK and Ireland  

- Haiti earthquake – one year on  

 

The President and the Secretary of the Methodist Church in Haiti are set to visit the UK and Ireland a year following the earthquake that devastated their country.

 

President Revd Gesner Paul and Secretary Marco Depestre will travel to the UK and Ireland where they will update partners on the progress of the relief effort in Haiti. They will arrive on February 24th and leave on March 8th during which time they will meet with many people including Lord Leslie Griffiths, who was ordained in Haiti, Revd Tom Quenet and Rev Laurence Graham of the Methodist Church in Britain and Ireland.

 

The earthquake that rocked the island on 12 January 2010 killed 230,000 people and left one million people homeless. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, The Methodist Church in Britain and the Methodist Relief and Development Fund launched relief appeals which have raised more than £918,000 to date. So far, £393,000 of this sum has been spent on Methodist Church in Haiti projects with further funds channelled through MRDF's emergency partner in the country.

 

Revd Tom Quenet, Partnership Coordinator for The Americas and The Caribbean, said: “We’re very much looking forward to Gesner Paul and Marco Depestre’s visit. They will be able to meet with Methodist Church leadership and other supporters in Britain who have been active in the relief effort.

 

“Recovery in Haiti has been painfully slow due to a complex interplay of factors, not least of which has been the political instability and insecurity facing Haitians and overseas workers. But progress has been made. The Methodist Church in Haiti has worked with many international partners to build schools and clinics in settlement camps, move people from tents into semi-permanent homes, rebuild schools and clinics and recover the church’s ability to provide long-term care and relief to Haitians under these very difficult circumstances. Most Haitian people are demonstrating their supreme dignity in the face of almost impossible circumstances.” 

 

The relief effort has helped to provide shelter, water and sanitation, counselling and support an emergency agricultural project. A cholera epidemic, which has spread through all of Haiti’s ten regions, has affected more than 20,000 people, leaving more than 2,000 dead. One of MRDF’s partners in Haiti has carried out information campaigns warning people about the disease’s symptoms and has also distributed water treatment tablets, water cans and buckets.  

 

Nick Burn, MRDF’s Programme Manager for Haiti, said: “The situation in Haiti remains critical. Daily life is extremely hard for the million Haitians living in tents, but the people I met showed dignity and resilience in adapting to the challenges they face. Our partners are working tirelessly to meet both immediate needs and provide long-term support for those affected by the disaster.”

 

13 August 2010  

Nearly £20,000 raised in a week from Methodist Pakistan appeal  

  • United Nations warns of second wave of death from disease and food shortages

An appeal launched by the Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) has raised nearly £20,000 in a week after devastating floods hit Pakistan.  

The funds will help to support some of the people affected by the disaster, along with a £15,000 grant sent by the World Mission Fund to the Peshawar Diocese. The United Nations is warning of a second wave of death and disease and food shortages. Over 1,600 people have already died and 14 million have been affected by the flooding.  

Authorities continue to evacuate people from their homes as heavy monsoon rains surge from north-west Pakistan into the south. There are reports of 2,000 villages being washed away in the Sindh province alone. Relief efforts have been hampered in some areas as flood waters destroyed roads and bridges and caused huge areas of forest to slide into villages, isolating thousands of survivors. Soldiers and aid workers struggled to reach them as helicopters were grounded and had to use donkeys to deliver vital aid to some regions.  

Speaking of the deteriorating situation, Alla Calma, Deputy Director of Church World Service Pakistan’s Disaster Management Programme, reported that: ‘While the needs of affected people may be extensive, concerns about insufficient or no access to healthcare and sanitation facilities are also increasing. The longer people remain without shelter, food, and safe drinking water, the higher the risks are for illness.’  

Donations to MRDF’s appeal are helping to provide food packages to families in the Swat Valley and Kohistan Districts, some of the worst affected by the flooding. The packages include flour, rice, cooking oil and pulses. Gifts will also help to buy winterised tents and plastic sheets. Vulnerable families in the Swat Valley and Mansehra Districts will have access to medical attention, thanks in part to MRDF’s appeal. Three mobile health clinics have been set up in these areas. MRDF is working through its emergency partner in the region, Action by Church Together (ACT) International.  

The grant sent by the World Mission Fund is supporting an emergency Relief and Rescue programme for more than 1,300 families affected by the floods. The Diocese of Peshawar is putting all its efforts into reaching those still stranded by the floods and providing affected families with food.  

Steve Pearce, World Church Partnership Coordinator, said: ‘It is difficult to imagine suffering on this scale and in response we can only pray and support those who are offering physical help. I know Methodists will do both effectively. Our partner church in Peshawar is working with the Christian and Hindu minorities as well as the Muslim majority in the region and keeping in close contact with us. Please pray for Bishop Humphrey as he leads them.’  

MRDF Director Kirsty Smith said: ‘The torrential rains have had a catastrophic effect on so many communities.  It looks likely to affect even more people in the long-term than those affected by the Asian tsunami. Our emergency fund gives us – and the people who have donated to it – the opportunity to provide swift and tangible assistance to people in the midst of this crisis. We are very grateful to everyone who has given, and we intend to support as many people as we can in the immediate and longer-term.’  

To donate to MRDF’s emergency fund, visit www.mrdf.org.uk, or call 020 7224 4814 to give by debit or credit card or by a cheque made payable to 'MRDF (Pakistan emergency)' and sent to MRDF, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR.  

Taxpayers are encouraged to gift aid their donations where possible, adding 28p to every pound they give, at no extra personal cost. 

 

5 August 2010  

Methodists respond to Pakistan emergency  

With over 1,400 people dead and three million people affected after heavy flooding in Pakistan, the Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) and the Methodist Church are supporting efforts to help the survivors.  

There are fears that the number of casualties and homeless will rise as rescuers gain access to hard-to-reach areas where roads were destroyed. Initial aerial pictures show that whole villages have been washed away. There are also concerns that diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea will spread as there is a limited supply of clean water.  

MRDF has set up an emergency fund and donations will be channelled through its partner Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, which is responding to some of the immediate needs. This includes providing food and temporary shelter to some of the most vulnerable communities, as well as setting up mobile health clinics.  

In an appeal for help, the Bishop of Peshawar, Rt Revd Humphrey Peters, said: “The monsoon rains have caused havoc all over Pakistan, but the Khyber Pakhtunkwa province has been hit hard by the floods. Thousands of villages are under water and hundreds of people are either dead or missing. All road links within the Province have been cut down, relief workers are trying to reach through boats or on foot.”  

In response the World Mission Fund has agreed to send an immediate grant of £15,000 to the Diocese, which has launched an emergency Relief and Rescue programme for more than 1300 families affected by the floods. The Diocese is putting all its efforts into reaching those still stranded by the floods and proving affected families with food.  

World Church Partnership Coordinator Steve Pearce said: “The Church of Pakistan, which is a united church, is doing its utmost to minister to as many people as it can. The Christian community is a small minority in Pakistan and is heartened by our prompt support and most of all by our prayer. We ask people to pray for all those affected by this disaster, for safety and for their needs to be met.” A special prayer for use by churches and individuals is available online here.  

Simeon Mitchell, MRDF’s Fundraising Director, said: “This is the worst flooding Pakistan has experienced in over 70 years, and has affected a region already dealing with poverty and conflict. The immediate priorities are getting people to places of safety and trying to prevent the outbreak of waterborne diseases. In the long term, restoring the communities and livelihoods swept away by the floods will be a major challenge. Donations to our appeal will help alleviate some of the suffering in the short term, and empower people to begin rebuilding their lives.”  

To donate to MRDF’s emergency fund, visit www.mrdf.org.uk, or call 020 7224 4814 to give by debit or credit card or by a cheque made payable to 'MRDF (Pakistan emergency)' and sent to MRDF, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR.  

Taxpayers are encouraged to gift aid their donations where possible, adding 28p to every pound they give, at no extra personal cost

 

 

5 July 2010  

MRDF LAUNCHES EMERGENCY APPEAL FOR WEST AFRICA

The Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) has launched an urgent appeal for West Africa as millions of people face chronic food shortages.  

Poor rainfall and failed harvests in the Sahel region of West Africa have left 10 million people vulnerable to severe hunger. Niger – the poorest country in the world according to the United Nations – has been worst hit, with almost 60% of the population facing hunger this year. More than 1.5 million children are risk of becoming malnourished unless urgent action is taken.  

MRDF has already allocated £20,000 to the crisis-hit countries, and is urging people to donate to its emergency appeal so that it can reach more vulnerable people in Niger and other affected countries including Mali , Burkina Faso and Mauritania .

Yannick Milev, MRDF Programme Manager for West Africa , recently returned from a visit to Niger . ‘Our partner in Niger was very distressed by the reports they were receiving from the communities they work with,’ he said. ‘Entire villages are emptying as people flee to areas where they think they might find food – they either simply have no food, or cannot afford it. The price of rice has doubled in some places. Not everyone can leave their villages, and some of the people left behind have been forced to eat roots and leaves from trees.’

‘These reports are shocking, but the important message is that we can make a huge difference to many of the people affected by this crisis if we act quickly.’

Gifts to MRDF’s appeal will provide emergency relief supplies to some of those affected by the food crisis and will focus on helping communities to become more resilient to drought in the future.

Donations to MRDF can be made via www.mrdf.org.uk, by calling 020 7224 4814 to give by debit or credit card or by cheque made payable to 'MRDF (West Africa emergency)' and sent to MRDF, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR.

Taxpayers are encouraged to gift aid their donations where possible, adding 28p to every pound they give, at no extra personal cost. Gift Aid envelopes for church collections are available from MRDF.

For more information on MRDF’s response to the West Africa food crisis visit www.mrdf.org.uk  

 

Haiti: More than £270,000 raised by Methodist appeals

Appeals for Haiti launched by the Methodist Church and MRDF have raised more than £270,000.  

Donations to both MRDF and to the Church’s World Mission Fund are supporting the emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation work being carried out by the Methodist Church in Haiti. MRDF is also channelling funds to Action by Churches Together. As well as funding food, blankets, tents and latrines, donations to MRDF have helped to provide a water purification system in the Belair neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince. This is providing 10,000 homeless Haitians with crystal clear drinking water – the first clean water they have had since the earthquake struck.  

In his Sunday sermon the Revd George Mulrain, President of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas, said “Our contribution to Haiti does not wait until a disaster strikes. It is ongoing. Various agencies and organizations are contributing to relief in Haiti, which is commendable. But soon the dust will settle and the media folk will turn to another “breaking news story” as the saga of Haiti recedes into the background. Not so with us as Methodists. We are there to stay, because, our motive is not to make the news headlines. The love of Christ constrains us and we stay.”  

Simeon Mitchell, MRDF’s Fundraising, Marketing and Campaigning Director, said: “Methodists have once again responded with speed and generosity, and we are deeply grateful for this support. In view of the widespread devastation and chaos, every donation is significant. These gifts are enabling us to alleviate some of the suffering in the short term, and empower people to begin rebuilding their lives.”  

As of this morning, donations to the World Mission Fund have reached £161,000 with the Methodist Church in Ireland contributing more than £25,000 to that total. Donations to MRDF stand at £117,000.  

The Revd Tom Quenet, Methodist Partnership Coordinator for the Americas and the Caribbean, is planning to visit Haiti later this month. “The figures that the Methodist Church in Haiti has sent us represent a massive loss of the church’s infrastructure to serve the men, women and children of Haiti,” he said. “The destruction of schools mean that the effects of the earthquake will be felt by many generations into the future, the loss of clinics means that lives will be shortened for lack of health care, the destruction of child care facilities will mean that children and young people will become vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. The overwhelmingly generous response of the Methodist people means that not only are people receiving water, food and shelter in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, but also the Haitian church will be best ready to respond in alleviating the long term consequences.”

People can donate via the Methodist Church by visiting www.justgiving.com/Methodist-Church-Haiti-Appeal, or sending a cheque payable to the World Mission Fund to Dave Bennett, Fundraising Coordinator, at Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JR. Postal donations should be labelled ‘Haiti Appeal’. For further information visit www.methodist.org.uk or contact Revd Tom Quenet on 020 7467 5160.

To donate via MRDF, visit www.mrdf.org.uk or call 020 7224 4814 to give by debit or credit card, or send a cheque made payable 'MRDF (Haiti emergency)' and to MRDF, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR.

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Revd Tom Quenet, Methodist Partnership Coordinator for the Americas and the Caribbean, was due to be in Haiti when the earthquake struck. He tells of how he heard of the tragedy and the work he has been engaged in since to help with the relief effort.

(Listen here)