United Methodists plan relief work in Iran
by Linda Bloom
NEW YORK (UMNS) The United Methodist Church's relief agency is sending two field specialists to the earthquake-stricken area of Iran.
Guy Hovey, the agency's head of mission for Europe and Asia, and David Sadoo, a New York-based disaster specialist, will consider immediate aid needs as well as programs for longterm reconstruction for victims of the Dec. 26 earthquake, which destroyed most of the homes in Bam, Iran. The death toll in the ancient southeastern city exceeded 30,000.
In a Jan. 5 interview, Sadoo said he and Hovey were awaiting visas for Iran but were hoping to travel soon. The pair expected to spend about a week in Bam, he added.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief has provided an initial $10,000 emergency grant to its faith-based partners in the region, the Middle East Council of Churches and Norwegian Church Aid.
Part of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, the relief agency and its partners also are erecting 400 family-size tents in Bam. Each tent provides shelter for 10 people and can be used for several years until permanent housing is built.
The Rev. Paul Dirdak, the agency's chief executive, said experience with earthquake relief in Turkey and El Salvador "puts the organization in a good position to provide help in Iran."
The United Methodist Committee on Relief also has specialized in replacement shelter work in Afghanistan and the former republic of Yugoslavia, he noted. In addition, the agency expects to assist with the delivery of clean drinking water, repair damaged springs and wells, and establish temporary sanitation facilities.
Church World Service, the relief agency of the National Council of Churches, sent an initial $30,000 emergency grant to the Middle East Council of Churches for emergency shelter assistance. The agency also announced a $500,000 appeal to assist earthquake survivors.
Church World Service is airlifting a 20-foot container of medical supplies and hygiene kits, which is expected to leave for Iran on Jan. 6.
The Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the Board of Global Ministries, expressed concern for those affected by the devastating earthquake. "We think particularly of the children those killed and those left orphaned," he said.
Both Dirdak and Day urged United Methodists to contribute to a special fund to provide humanitarian assistance. Checks to UMCOR Advance No. 624315, Iran Earthquake, can be dropped in church offering plates or mailed directly to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Credit-card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or going online to http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/, the agency's Web site.
Church members also can respond by assembling health kits and school kits for earthquake victims. More information about the kits is available http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/kits.cfm online.
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