You have read the news, seen the headlines, felt the panic.
From the crashing of the twin towers to the 2004 Tsunami, when life pauses and seems to reel back on itself, destruction mounting, the world holds its breath, and watches. An earthquake turns an entire city to rubble, a sudden outbreak of armed conflict instigates an exodus of refugees, a flood buries a community.
Emergency. Disaster. But who are behind the headlines and the nightly news? Real people. Parents in Indonesia pick through rubble looking for their children, people in China hope someone or something will intervene for what's left of their city, people battle through the questions and sift through the lack of answers.
And we are there with them. We go into disasters and act within the first 48 hours of an emergency. Every disaster is different so every response looks different.
But it always starts with coming.
Torrents of water. Torrents of rain.
Falling; slowly at first, then swiftly - covering, washing, filling space and land and home. In 2007 a devastating flood hit Mozambique, categorized as a humanitarian disaster, affecting over 285,000 people. Water rose to unprecedented levels, drowning crops, destroying possessions and forcing people to seek shelter on dry land away from their homes.
When the Zambezi River broke its banks, the land was saturated. Over 165,000 became displaced. As thousands lost access to food and water, the threat of disease outbreaks grew threateningly high.
Men, women and children waited in displacement camps, huddled in homes made of grass, blue plastic sheeting draped over the sticks that held it all together. Lines formed to receive distributions, while water levels continued to rise.
FH's relief unit responded. FH came to the area of Caia and began distributing food supplies, tents, mosquito nets and water cans to displaced families who were temporarily sheltered in displaced camps. In collaboration with other relief organizations FH also provided clean water and health screenings to children and their families, focusing specifically on malnutrition.
Just days before people had been forced to survive on food they could salvage from the wreckage or from the trees.
Though harvests have been destroyed, FH's ongoing work in Mozambique with agriculture, education and health will help lessen this impact.
The struggle is still real and the waiting is still present, but the impact of disaster, we believe, is lessened. And we are committed to staying.
what
+ Emergency Relief for Droughts, Floods and other Natural Disasters
+ Food Distribution
+ Water and Sanitation Activities
+ Health Surveys
+ Emergency Shelter Construction
+ Road and Bridge Rehabilitation
+ BREAKING NEWS: Food for the Hungry is actively preparing its field staff with the latest information and recommendations regarding the emerging Swine Flu outbreak. Through training events and materials, families and communities are learning how they can protect themselves in the event of a global pandemic. We encourage your continued prayers and financial support as this situation develops.
+ As of May 2008, Ethiopia is facing a famine that threatens starvation for over 6 million children.
+ In 2007, over 200 million people worldwide were affected by natural disasters, a 40% increase from the previous year.
+ The world is experiencing a dramatic increase in food prices. During the first three months of 2008, international food prices reached their highest levels in nearly 50 years and are expected to remain high for the next few years. For many of the 800 million people already experiencing chronic hunger, the effects of rising food prices are potentially devastating.
+ Facts From: CNN, The Red Cross, Alertnet, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
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