ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Baptist World Aid each have given $5,000 for flood relief in Ethiopia, where a local Baptist group is leading response efforts in the Addis Ababa region.
Addis Kidan Baptist Churches, a convention of 63 congregations, is leading the Baptist response to floods caused by the country's rainy season, which traditionally runs from September to October. The deluges have caused the displacement of thousands, separation of families, and destruction of homes and agriculture.
Many evacuees are living in crowded temporary tent communities. On a recent visit to a displaced-persons camp, Baptist leaders reported nearly 1,000 flooded homes in a two-district area.
Addis Kidan Baptist Churches plans to provide blankets and mattresses for families, essential medications and medical supplies, supplementary food for children, clothing, sanitary materials, as well as kitchen and bathroom facilities. Future rehabilitation efforts could include providing house repair, agriculture tools and seeds for replanting crops.
“Our intent is to work with the local church to be the catalyst and provider of real help to people who are suffering from both chronic and acute disasters,” said David Harding, CBF's international emergency-response coordinator.
Flooding is only a temporary danger in Ethiopia, where long-lasting poverty claims more lives than the current flood crisis. There are approximately 55 million people living in Ethiopia without access to safe water. Last summer, CBF personnel launched a project to provide safe drinking water in a rural area, with plans to help local residents implement effective agriculture practices.
Baptist World Aid is the relief arm of the Baptist World Alliance, the worldwide umbrella group for national and regional Baptist denominations. BWA accepted the Addis Kidan convention as a member body in July.
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