Asia Disaster Relief: World Vision Targets 400K

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 Posted: 2:24:57AM HKT

A World Vision team on a helicopter bringing relief to victims of Typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines. (Photo: World Vision)

Global humanitarian giant World Vision aims to provide relief for some 400,000 people affected by the recent Asia disasters.

The Christian ministry is helping victims of Typhoons Ketsana and Parma in the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, the West Sumatra quake and the India drought and floods.

A report dated 15 October received from World Vision Singapore showed the following figures:

In the Philippines, World Vision plans to conduct a three-month relief response to provide for 20,000 families or 100,000 people, providing food, non-food items, medicine, and setting up Child Friendly Spaces, designed to provide psychosocial support to children after a disaster or conflict, for 1,500 children.

Thus far, some 10,501 families have received food assistance. In addition, six CFS have been set up in Cainta, Rizal, Marikina, Pasig and Ultra, reaching about 4,000 children.

The ministry has also distributed relief goods to about 2,000 people in Zambales, 200 relief packs to 1,000 people in Isabela, and food packs to 3,500 families or more than 17,000 individuals in Cagayan.

In Vietnam, World Vision has distributed about $42,000 in relief goods comprising rice, noodles, life vests, raincoats, torches and water, aiding some 50,000 people. The ministry is also working alongside the government, UN agencies and other international NGOs to meet pressing needs such as food and shelter in the hardest hit provinces.

World Vision aims to help the affected families rebuild their livelihoods and schoolchildren resume their schooling.

In Laos, World Vision has distributed relief supplies such as food, water, candles, lighters and water purification tablets for some 2,755 families in 25 villages in Sepone district. The ministry aims to rebuild livelihoods by providing affected communities with rice, seeds and livestock to replace the loss, and rebuilding houses, setting up rice banks and providing revolving loans.

The ministry is in the midst of distributing 10,000 family kits and 5,000 children hygiene kits in Padang, Pariaman and Agam districts in West Sumatra that will help 10,000 families and benefit up to 50,000 people. World Vision is also ensuring access to clean water by providing water in the form of tanks, containers and purifying sachets.

Moreover, the NGO is setting up 13 CFS to reach out to almost 2,000 children and distributing 30 school tents to help schools continue lessons for children.

World Vision is assisting communities in Mehboobnagar, Vijayawada and Bijapur in India, with the aim of meeting the immediate needs of 180,000 flood survivors who have been driven from their homes into relief camps.

As a non-denominational Christian agency, World Vision aims to share and demonstrate the love and compassion that Jesus Christ extended to all people, but especially to children, and particularly to those living in poverty or suffering from oppression and injustice.

In response to around 75 emergencies last year, the ministry raised over $3.64 billion in cash and goods and served more than 100 million people in 98 countries. This number included 3.6 million children who received sponsorship and 998,000 orphans and vulnerable children who received care and support.

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Edmond Chua
edmond@christianpost.com