Salvation Army Aid Reaches $5 Million
According to a recent release by the Salvation Army, the largest Christian evangelical relief group in the world, donations to help the survivors of the deadly earthquake-tsunami disaster through the SA surpassed $5 million.
In each country, the Salvation Army's local personnel have been working together to fight the calamity through providing food, shelter, clothing, water, medicines, and counseling.
In India, The Salvation Army set up mass feeding centers, are providing shelter, food, clothing, and other essentials to more than 1,200 people. Salvation Army facilities were used to provide feeding sites and emergency shelter along the coast, and they set up three kitchens to provide hot meals for 1,200 people twice-daily.
Sri Lanka lacked clean drinking water, tents, food, clothing and medicines, and teams of local Salvation Army assessment personnel helped identify the most pressing needs of the affected communities. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and communities must struggle to dispose of corpses throughout the region.
Indonesia also suffered immense damage, and Commissioner Johannes Watilete, leader of The Salvation Army's Indonesia Territory, spoke of the urgent need for body bags, medical masks, gloves and disinfectant.
Representatives of the Emergency Services section at The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters in London moved into place in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka to support a sustained program of reconstruction in the affected areas.
The aim, in addition to relieving immediate distress, is to help enable the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their homes and livelihood to resume something approaching their previous life as soon as possible.
Fishermen are among those hit hardest. The Salvation Army's long-term reconstruction plan involves providing nets and boats so the fishermen can become self-supporting again.
Other than reconstructing properties, The Salvation Army is reconstructing the emotional wellbeing of survivors by offering spiritual comfort, pastoral support and professional psychological counseling.
