Salvation Army Needs Cash For Pakistan Relief

Salvation Army needs urgent cash donations to bring relief to Pakistan

THE SALVATION ARMY has launched a national appeal for urgent public donations to assist with its emergency response to the earthquake that has devastated Pakistan and parts of India and Afghanistan.

With more than 20,000 dead and 40,000 injured, The Salvation Army is already on the ground in Pakistan mobilising its forces to assess and respond to local needs with emergency relief teams, communications assistance, practical mass feeding, medical supplies and emotional support.

The Salvation Army is well placed to respond in worst-hit areas.

It has 50,000 soldiers, more than 130 churches, numerous social services, children’s homes, schools, health resource centres and rehabilitation centres for the disabled in Pakistan alone. With a strong Salvation Army presence in India, it has also provided outreach and assistance to Afghanistan and Afghanistan refugees.

Less than two weeks ago, however, colleagues at The Salvation Army’s NZ, Fiji and Tonga Territory headquarters in Wellington said goodbye to New Zealand couple, Majors Peter and Jeanette Scadden, who left our shores for deployment to Lahore in Pakistan, not far from the now devastated area of Kashmir.

Communication lines have been down or restricted since the disaster and there have been fears for the couple’s safety, but a brief phone call from Peter Scadden to a relative on the Kapiti coast has now revealed good news. The Kiwi couple were only 200 km from the epicentre of the earthquake when it hit, but both are safe and well, for now.

Like others there, the Scaddens are just bracing themselves to see what they can do to help.

According to PR Secretary for The Salvation Army in New Zealand, Major David Bennett, “With less than two weeks in the country, and no time to get used to the culture shock, the Scaddens face a duel-shock and an unexpectedly grim task.”

He’s appealed for public support of the Army’s work and it’s many comrades on the ground in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.

“Our experience with recent disasters like the Tsunami and U.S hurricanes taught us that access to affected areas often becomes a problem in emergency situations and cash donations rather than donations in kind allow The Salvation Army to act quickly to purchase and provide the most immediate and appropriate practical relief and equipment needed,” said Major Bennett.

“After so many lives lost in the earthquake and the weekend’s landslide, our hearts go out to survivors and emergency workers. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the Indian, Pakistan and Afghanistan people of New Zealand still waiting for news of relatives and friends back home.”

Major Bennett assures the public that 100% of all monies donated by New Zealanders to The Salvation Army Pakistan Earthquake Disaster Fund will go direct to The Salvation Army’s relief teams stationed in Pakistan and India.

“Like Rita and Katrina, a $100 donation will go a long way to buying our relief teams the needed clean up kits, body bags and other required supplies, but donations of any amount are most welcome”, he said.

To donate to The Salvation Army Pakistan Earthquake Disaster Fund:

Visit http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz to make an online donation. Make cash donations at any branch of the BNZ bank nationally. Call freephone 0800 53 00 00 to donate via credit card, or post donations to:

The Salvation Army Pakistan Earthquake Disaster Fund PO Box 27001
Wellington New Zealand
We thank you for supporting the work of The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army, NZ, Fiji and Tonga Territory is a member of The Salvation Army international working to provide disaster, emergency support and humanitarian aid and is at work in 111 countries around the world. For background on our work in NZ, Fiji and Tonga Territory, visit www.salvationarmy.org.nz

ENDS

Rotary ShelterBox Programme – working in partnership with The Salvation Army to meet human need

Serving in 111 countries around the world, The Salvation Army is ideally placed to support communities when disaster strikes and is proud to work in partnership with the Rotary ShelterBox programme. In 2005 The Salvation Army and the Rotary ShelterBox programme have partnered to assist families in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Chile and the Caribbean.

At any given time there are over 2,000 sponsored ShelterBoxes held in storage in Cornwall, ready for immediate When disaster strikes, boxes are immediately shipped from the ShelterBox warehouse in Helston, Cornwall, to wherever there is a need. Partners, such as The Salvation Army, receive the boxes and work with the local community to distribute them to those most in need, helping with their installation and providing additional care and practical support.
The Rotary ShelterBox is a self-contained survival kit, with enough equipment to provide shelter and essential items for a family of ten. The tent and all the other contents of the ShelterBox are of high quality – even the sturdy box is a bonus, as it can be used as a water tank, food store, cot, or table. Each box contains a rugged, ten-person tunnel tent, ten sleeping bags, tools, cooking aids, clean water, and heating and lighting materials.

A complete ShelterBox costs only £490 or US$850, and this includes the cost of shipping worldwide. ShelterBoxes are sponsored by Rotary Clubs, churches, schools, organisations and individuals. When a ShelterBox is sponsored it is individually numbered and tracked right through to the point at which a family in crisis receives it. You can find out more about the Rotary ShelterBox programme online at www.shelterbox.org.

The Salvation Army agrees to long-term assistance for flood victims in western India

While the world’s attention has been focused on the response to Hurricane Katrina in the United States, The Salvation Army continues to respond, in addition, to natural disasters around the world. In July, a super-sized cyclonic storm brought extraordinarily heavy monsoon rains and massive flooding to a large area of western India. More than 2,100 people lost their lives and thousands of homes were destroyed.

In one 18-hour period a world record 944 mm (37 inches) of rain fell on Mumbai, leaving much of the city of nearly 18 million inhabitants under water. Several feet of water covered the international airport and the nearby slums were submerged under nearly four metres of floodwaters.

>>>>>/ Page 1 of 2

In the neighbouring state of Gujarat, more than 600 villages were isolated by rising flood waters and thousands of homes were lost.

The Salvation Army responded immediately by providing food (rice, daal and oil) to more than 7,000 families in Mumbai and Gujarat. Teams of Salvation Army disaster workers loaded large trucks with food and distributed aid direct to affected families.

Now, following an assessment visit by a consultant from The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services office in London, a commitment has been made to further assist in the recovery by providing replacement home furnishings to 2,000 families in the slum areas of Mumbai. In Gujarat, the Salvation Army will participate in the rebuilding of 400 rural homes. This commitment of an additional US$260,000 is made possible by the generosity of Salvation Army units in the United States. Report by Major Mike Olsen

The Salvation Army is providing aid to thousands of people affected by the cyclone that hit the Andhra Pradesh region of India.

In many places villages were isolated and their inhabitants had to be evacuated by the military. It is estimated that 50,000 people have been displaced in Andhra Pradesh, with thousands more affected along the west coast of the country.

Photo Gallery of aid given to victims of flooding in Andhra Pradesh, India

OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES

The Salvation Army responds to earthquake crisis in Peru: Media Release 5 October 2005 Author: Emergency News
The Salvation Army stepped up its relief programme in southern Peru after two earthquakes in quick succession on Saturday 1 October 2005 brought further devastation to that caused by the earthquake which hit the area a week earlier, killing five people, injuring 50 others and leaving hundreds of families homeless. The double earthquakes added 300 more families to the long list of those needing assistance.

Lieut-Colonel Susan McMillan reports from Peru that Salvation Army teams are busy distributing relief aid in Lamas, whose homes and streets are 70 per cent destroyed. Although many homes appear to be still standing, they are uninhabitable. Families want to stay in their houses for fear of losing the few belongings they still have, but are risking their lives by doing so.

The Salvation Army has set up a feeding centre where hot meals are provided for them, aided by an emergency grant of $25,000 from The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters. This money is being used to support the distribution of basic first-response needs, including blankets, mattresses, cooking sets, plastic sheeting and cleaning materials. Septic tanks are being cleaned, and relief teams are providing support for the children and counselling to all who need it following the loss of their homes.

A typical recipient is Julio Chung, who has lived in Lamas all his life. At nearly 80 years of age he had never before felt an earthquake the magnitude of last Saturday’s. Sadly he lost everything that day. Previously, his home was a place where his neighbours would congregate. Now he looks to The Salvation Army for a place to stay.
Julio Chung is just one of hundreds of residents of Lamas who are now homeless. Many of the town’s mud-walled homes have been destroyed or damaged beyond repair and need to be demolished. Some residents have opted to begin demolition of what is left of their homes in spite of the danger, as help from outside the city has been slow in arriving. There is a sense of desperation among the community, with many people sleeping either in tents or on the streets.

In addition to the relief supplies, Salvation Army assessment teams are undertaking an urgent evaluation of homes and will be seeking funding to help rebuild damaged properties. If you would like to help, donations would be welcome to the Latin America Disaster Fund.

Ongoing Tsunami relief

The Salvation Army is proving to be an effective and vital part of post-tsunami rehabilitation with extensive relief work in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. For more information and reports on relief efforts in each country:

www.salvationarmy.org

ENDS

© Scoop Media