07 May 2013
£10,000 grant for Argentina flood recovery
The Methodist Church has agreed a grant of £10,000 to assist
urgent recovery work following last month's torrential
flooding.
The floods, which hit the cities of Buenos Aires and La Plata on 2
and 3 April, killed more than 50 people and left many homes
inundated with up to two meters of water. Many thousands of
families living in the poorest parts of both cities have been badly
affected. The grant from the World Mission Fund has been sent to
the Methodist Church in Argentina (IEMA), which has a strong
presence in both cities.
IEMA Leader Bishop Frank de Nully Brown said: "The consequences of
this disaster have affected the poorest families and those least
able to help themselves. We thank God for the solidarity and the
mutual love of our congregations that have allowed us to hold
people who are in pain, despair and suffering, both the affected in
our churches and our neighbours. This tragedy reminds us that we
are vulnerable beyond our material securities. We continue to
respond to the people living in the affected areas and those
affected by the longer lasting trauma that it has produced."
IEMA's children's home in La Plata was severely affected by the
floods. The home provides an extended social service to hundreds of
families around it, and support for hundreds of street children
whose lives have now been made more precarious by the floods.
The money from the World Mission Fund will be used to purchase
furniture and equipment that has been lost and enable the immediate
recovery of the services offered by the home.
"The Methodist Church in Britain and the Methodist Church in
Argentina enjoy a quality relationship that enables us to speak to
each other about our needs and our differences; that puts people
first," added the Revd Thomas Quenet, World Church Partnership
Coordinator. "In this case it was the initiative of the Methodist
Church in Britain that suggested the request from the Church in
Argentina. The people affected were the most vulnerable living in
places they could not get away from. We were blessed to be able to
respond urgently to the need."
A unique aspect of the World Mission Fund is its ability to give emergency grants to overseas partners. This often means the Church can be the first to respond, showing concern, care and practical support to our people living in other parts of the world. Donate to the Fund online here.