American Baptist Churches USA has joined other major faith groups in the effort to provide humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans struggling with life-threatening water shortages.
Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon declared a state of emergency last month and has since rolled out rotating 48-hour water shut-offs in response to drought that has deprived as many as 500,000 residents of adequate water.
“We are combining a climate committee, actually a drought committee, with all the scientific people. The federal government is helping us out as well,” she said during a recent press conference.
The challenge has been exacerbated by hundreds of fires and record-breaking heat, Gonzalez-Colon added. “This situation is out of our hands. Nothing prevents this from worsening.”
According a report by Yale Climate Connections, 72% of Puerto Rico’s land mass is in the grips of the drought that also is the result of deteriorating infrastructure, mismanagement and a failure to dredge sediment from reservoirs.
“Another problem is that rain isn’t always falling in the right places. Rain in the west, south, or mountainous interior doesn’t necessarily benefit Carraízo, the main reservoir that supplies San Juan and the surrounding municipalities,” the report says.
But numerous national international organizations, including the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, have stepped up to reduce the suffering Puerto Ricans are enduring in the current crisis.
The United Methodist Church’s Global Ministries, the Salvation Army and Convoy of Hope also are among the groups that have mobilized in response to the drought.
Abigail Medina Betancourt
“The most concerning aspect of this situation is that (Puerto Rico) has a large elderly population who lack the resources and strength to obtain and carry water,” said Abigaíl Medina Betancourt, national coordinator for intercultural engagement with ABHMS.
In response, the ministry rolled out “Wells of Hope for Puerto Rico,” an initiative to enable local churches to provide immediate access to safe water in the island’s hardest-hit communities, including some that have gone without for as much as two weeks.
In addition to focusing on immediate water needs, ABMS will use funds generated by the One Great Hour of Sharing to help local ministries already trusted in their communities to build resilience and identify and meet long-term needs.
Jeffrey-Haggray
“Puerto Rico’s Baptist churches have stood alongside their communities through hurricanes, earthquakes, economic hardship and countless other challenges, putting faith into action,” said ABHMS Executive Director Jeffrey Haggray. “Wells of Hope for Puerto Rico builds on years of collaboration between ABHMS and these churches and incorporates the missional zeal and resources of island-based community organizations already serving their neighbors.”
ABHMS announced it also will tap into the Happy Givers Foundation, the Baptist Disaster Response Centers, its network of Baptist congregations, other partners and individual donors to target areas of immediate need.
“More dependable access to clean water is about protecting health, preserving dignity and ensuring that churches can continue to serve as trusted places of welcome, hope and practical care during times of crisis,” said Jennifer Stewart, director of the Healing and Transforming Communities unit at ABHMS.