11 February 2008
£30,000 to support flood victims in Southern Africa
The Methodist Church in Great Britain is sending a
solidarity grant of £30,000 to Methodist Churches in Southern
Africa to provide support for flood victims.
Flooding of the River Zambezi has destroyed homes, submerged crops
and left thousands of people in Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in
desperate need of help. Many have been made homeless and there are
widespread outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and dysentery.
Children in affected areas are no longer able to receive education
and more than 80% of crops have been washed away.
Kevin Fray, World Church Officer for Africa, says; 'Many are aware
of the desperate levels of poverty and deprivation that already
exist in this area of the world, and the flooding has only made
this worse. Those who already faced difficult circumstances in
their day to day lives have seen their homes and livelihoods swept
away. We hope that this grant goes some way toward alleviating
their suffering.'
The churches will use the money to provide shelter, food, clean
water, clothing and other types of support for those whose lives
have been devastated by the flooding.