All The World (April 2012)

n o g n i s s a p t

h t i w l o dea

PAKISTAN – assistance for all people High drama in PHILIPPINES floods AFRICA drought – long-term change New EMERGENCY SERVICES map

APRIL–JUNE 2012

VOL 50 NO 2

EMERGE NCY SER VICES SPECIAL ISSUE

C O U N T RY O R T H E M E

CONTENTS

APRIL–JUNE 2012

EMERGENCY SERVICES SPECIAL ISSUE

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Visit ALL THE WORLD at: www.salvationarmy.org/alltheworld

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UPFRONT From the Editor

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JAPAN Earthquake and tsunami response

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HOME AND AWAY Reflections from here and there

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TRAINING Increasing capacity

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FACTFILE Vital statistics

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PAKISTAN Without discrimination

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IN THE PICTURE Images of disaster relief

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FOCUS ON ...

Emergency Services

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THE PHILIPPINES Escaping a flash flood

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NEW ZEALAND In for the long-haul

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AFRICA DROUGHT Long-term benefits

22

SNAPSHOTS Emergency relief news from around the world

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What’s in a phrase?

Kevin Sims, editor

THERE’S a well-known advertising campaign in the UK that appeals to my straight-forward simplicity (my wife would agree that I’m not always great at picking up on subtlety!). The campaign is for a range of do-it-yourself paints and other products, each of which, apparently ‘does what it says on the tin’.

For instance, asks one advert, do you need two-year waterproofing for your fence? Then look out for the tin with a label that says: ‘Two-year Fence Waterproofing’! Hence: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. The idea is simple but effective.

The Salvation Army has had many catchphrases through the years. ‘Heart to God, hand to man’, ‘Doing the most good’, ‘For God’s sake, care’ and ‘Soup, Soap and Salvation’ are familiar phrases to many. Others have tried to encapsulate the Army as, for instance, ‘Christianity with its sleeves rolled up’.

General John Gowans, a noted wordsmith who was the Army’s international leader from 1999-2002, summed up the movement’s mission as ‘Saving souls, growing saints, serving suffering humanity’.

These are all good but, as much as anything, they highlight the difficulty in summing up the work of a movement that is a church to more than a million people while to others it is thought of principally as a charity, a provider of social services or an emergency response agency.

This issue of All the World focuses on the emergency response aspect – and yet on every occasion the other areas of Salvation Army service are never far away. In at least three countries where

The Salvation Army responded to a disaster there are now congregations and a wider ministry.

Colonel Marguerite Ward writes about Salvation Army emergency work in Pakistan that has opened doors to other areas of service. Many of the people who have been trained by The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services spend their everyday lives in varied areas of the Army’s work.

When General Linda Bond launched The Salvation Army’s International Vision – One Army, One Mission, One Message – in October 2011, she made this challenge to corps (churches), social service centres and headquarters everywhere: ‘If there is a Salvation Army shield on your building, you do all the mission!’

You could take this a stage further and say: ‘If you wear a uniform, if you have a red shield on your clothing, if you associate yourself with The Salvation Army, you do all the mission.’

The ‘salvation’ in Salvation Army is usually thought of as a proclamation of the salvation from sin that can be claimed

UPFRONT

FroM The ediTor

through Jesus Christ. The word salvation can also, of course, denote saving in a wider sense.

This issue of All the World shows people who, through Salvation Army emergency responses, have received salvation by being saved from floods, saved from famine or even saved from a feeling of hopelessness. To them, a red shield with the words ‘The Salvation Army’ – or whatever it is in the local language – is linked with safety, trust and hope.

The Salvation Army – it does what it says on the shield.

‘The Salvation Army has had many catchphrases through the years’

ediTor Kevin Sims

FoUnder William Booth

deSiGn And ArTWorK Berni Georges

GenerAL Linda Bond

ediToriAL oFFiCe The Salvation Army international headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street London eC4V 4eh, United Kingdom

ediTor-in-ChieF Lieut-Colonel Laurie robertson

© The General of The Salvation Army 2012

Tel: [44] (0)20 7332 0101; fax: [44] (0)20 7332 8079

Published by Linda Bond, General of The Salvation Army

email: ihQ-alltheworld@salvationarmy.org

Printed in the UK by Lamport Gilbert Printers Ltd

AP RI L– JU NE 2 01 2 | ALL THE WORLD |

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J A PA N

T

HE building was swaying and some of the staff couldn’t stand still, so they sat down on the floor.’ Commissioner Makoto Yoshida, The Salvation Army’s Territorial Commander in Japan, is describing the scene at the movement’s territorial headquarters in Tokyo on 11 March 2011.

‘Then the tsunami was being televised, and we watched it. We couldn’t believe it – it was just like a film. But it was real. We immediately thought we had to do something.’

Since that moment, The Salvation Army has been helping people whose lives were devastated by the disaster. It is estimated that 20,000 people were killed.

Thousands remain missing.

The Salvation Army’s response grew into a major operation but it began in a small way after tremors had halted public transport in Tokyo.

‘Commuters had lost their way of getting home,’ recalls the commissioner.

‘They were sort of refugees ... so we opened the hall in our building and invited them in. About 150 people came in and we cared for them.’

In northern Japan many towns and villages were swept away by the tsunami.

The commissioner says: ‘The inhabitants lost everything. They were brought into shelters, normally the community centre or a school. The Salvation Army went to those centres to feed them ... People really appreciated the hot meals we could provide.

‘We took food to different places every week for about four months after the disaster and distributed more than 10,000 meals.’

As it was meeting the need for food, The Salvation Army considered other ways it could help.

‘Some schools lost their teaching materials, so we provided notebooks and stationery to schoolchildren,’ reports the

Adapting to changing needs

by Philip Halcrow commissioner. ‘And when summer came and the weather grew hot, we provided fans in a number of the shelters.’

Along the coast, the tsunami had devastated the fishing industry so The Salvation Army looked for ways of helping.

The commissioner explains: ‘Our food distribution brought us into contact with a member of the fishermen’s union.

Through him we discovered a number of needs that required addressing. For instance, the tsunami had filled the sea with rubbish which needed to be cleared.

The fishermen had also lost their working clothes. At first they were not sure if we would be able to help, because the amount of money required was 10 million yen [US$120,000].

‘When we said we could help, a member of the union came to Tokyo to say thank you – but he later confessed that he also came to find out if we were for real!

After that, we established a good relationship with the fishermen. They started to tell us about their need for boats and other equipment, and we tried to help them.’

The Salvation Army has adapted its response to people’s changing needs.

Commissioner Yoshida sees another challenge to be met: ‘In the initial stage,

‘It is estimated that 20,000 people were killed’ 4 | ALL THE WORLD |

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Above: a building that was knocked over by the force of the tsunami

people needed material help; now the needs of their hearts must be met.

‘Most of the people are not Christians, so it is not always easy to speak about God and the Bible. We have just tried to do what Jesus did, and they are coming to ask us for spiritual support. We are now trying to work out how we can make ourselves available so they can easily come to us for spiritual help.’

The commissioner describes how people have shown their appreciation.

One relief worker finds himself surrounded by people saying thank you when he visits an area. A Salvation Army staff member who had been purchasing relief materials received an invitation to the shopkeeper’s wedding.

The shopkeeper said that The Salvation Army’s work had changed his outlook on life.

Philip Halcrow is Deputy Editor of The War Cry, published by The Salvation Army’s United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland.

The full version of his article was first published in The War Cry.

J A PA N

Rebuilding lives and livelihoods

by Brian Swarts

O

N the northern coast of Japan are large stretches of wasteland where entire towns were washed away by the tsunami of March 2011. What can also be found are people eager to rebuild their communities and reclaim their lives.

In collaboration with The Salvation Army’s Japan Territory and International Emergency Services, SAWSO (the USAbased Salvation Army World Service Office) has been overseeing funds donated to The Salvation Army in the USA to support several projects that are rebuilding both lives and livelihoods in the coastal towns of Ofunato, Onagawa, Kesennuma and Minamisanriku.

The Salvation Army in Japan was quick to respond to the disaster with food and other emergency supplies. Because of this speedy and effective response, local government and business leaders asked us to help them develop temporary shopping centres. The thinking was that this was an effective way to restart local businesses, provide jobs and give local citizens a place to shop for daily needs.

‘It is clear that The Salvation Army is building lasting relationships in these places’

Shops in Minamisanriku and Ofunato have now been completed, and in April The Salvation Army’s USA national leaders Commissioners William and Nancy Roberts will take up an invitation from Japan to attend the opening ceremony of the Onagawa shops.

On my last visit to Japan I was able to visit the completed Ofunato shops along with Captain Kazuyuki Ishikawa and we were thrilled to discover that NHK (a leading Japanese TV network) was there, filming one of its most popular shows, A Toast to Family.

The show was interviewing shopkeepers about how they were rebuilding their lives and Top right: preparing meals for distribution; below: bicyles supplied they even interviewed

by The Salvation Army at a time when petrol was difficult to obtain us about The Salvation Army’s work to make the shopping centre a reality.

These shopping centres are more than just places of commerce, they are also signs of hope for a return to normal life. The shops in Minamisanriku include a space to host community events and festivals, and they even have plans to build a memorial for the disaster that will honour those who lost their lives. The memorial will also bring

in groups from other parts of Japan who want to help rebuild these hard-hit communities.

It is clear that The Salvation Army is building lasting relationships in these places. The leader of the Kesennuma Fisherman’s Union had tears in his eyes when The Salvation Army offered to replace some of the equipment that had been washed out to sea.

He said that no other representatives had been to visit him or his co-workers and that their spirits were very low. The Salvation Army is now giving them hope and the tools to rebuild. These activities are opening the doors for numerous ministry opportunities, including work among the displaced citizens of local communities.

Recently, The Salvation Army was asked to help provide psychosocial support to children traumatised by the disaster and to elderly citizens who do not have family who can help care for them.

Throughout the next years, as families and communities rebuild their lives, The Salvation Army will be there to help them each step of the way.

Brian Swarts is Technical Advisor at The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO) in the USA AP RI L– JU NE 2 01 2 | ALL THE WORLD |

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N DO A CHOOUMNE T ARY RW T AY HEME

A SERIES LOOKING AT THE THOUGHTS AND ExPERIENCES OF PEOPLE WORKING FOR THE SALvATION ARMy IN THEIR COUNTRy OF BIRTH AND OTHERS GIvING SERvICE ABROAD

MAJOR COMFORT ADEPOJU NIGERIA TERRITORy

Left: Major Comfort Adepoju visits a school during her time working with international emergency Services

What is your role in The Salvation Army?

I am the Home/Health Officer in the officer training college, Nigeria, and Territorial Coordinator of Emergency Disaster Management Services. I also lecture on emergency disaster management at the training college.

How did you meet The Salvation Army?

I met the Salvation Army through my husband, Gabriel. At that time he was single and I belonged to another Christian denomination. He gave me a book by Catherine Booth, who is known as the Army Mother. When I had read the book Gabriel asked if I wanted to be like Catherine.

Two years later I became a Salvationist and another two years on I entered training to become a Salvation Army officer – after which we got married!

Gabriel is now the Training Principal in Nigeria.

Do you have a ‘hero of the faith’?

Catherine Booth, the first woman I read about whose life actually motivated me.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me’ (Isaiah 61:1 Authorised Version).

What is your favourite Salvation Army song?

‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’ (Song No 33).

How do you think The Salvation Army in Nigeria differs from the rest of the world?

Not much, but we are passionate about uniform-wearing, as the Army used to be elsewhere.

What particular challenges does The Salvation Army face in Nigeria?

In such a large country as Nigeria, with its enormous population, tribalism has been and continues to be a challenge. This can produce a lack of coordinated vision – even within The Salvation Army! In my role as a training college officer I also see challenges in adequately training officer-cadets to be strong enough to seek God’s ways before those that owe more to culture and traditionalism.

The same goes for evangelistic strategies that are not appropriate for the 21st century.

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What do you like most about Nigeria?

Cultural diversity and favourable weather.

If you were elected General, what would be the first thing you would change?

Our evangelistic approach. I feel there must be something wrong with our strategy. For instance, Nigeria has a population of more than 150 million people, of which 80 million are Christians. The Salvation Army was one of the earliest Christian denominations in Nigeria but it does not even have 100,000 soldiers while some newly emerging churches have memberships in the millions.

If you could choose to work for The Salvation Army anywhere else, where would you choose?

Anywhere God can be found.

Why should The Salvation Army be involved in emergency relief work?

Because the Army cares. It is said: ‘A hungry man is an angry man’ – when we care for people they can be persuaded to ask: ‘Why do you care?’ This inevitably opens dialogue which can lead to salvation. I like the principles which our Founder, William Booth, held to: ‘Soup, Soap and Salvation’.

What skills do you use most in your work?

Training experience from working with The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services and other experiences gathered in the course of practice and through my profession as a nurse.

What skills do you have that you would like the opportunity to use more?

Servant leadership by example.

How would you like to be remembered?

As someone who cares for all without discrimination.

What’s so special about The Salvation Army?

A lot! To start with, the care it offers to everyone in need. The doctrines of the Army, if well interpreted and adhered to, offer everything Heaven offers and everything that promotes peace here on earth.

&

away

Ò MAJOR WILLIAM BARTHAU INDONESIA TERRITORy (ORIGINALLy FROM CANADA)

What is your role in The Salvation Army?

I am Territorial Project Officer for The Salvation Army’s Indonesia Territory

How did you meet The Salvation Army?

My first contact came when I was in my mid-20s at Jackson’s Point Corps (church) in Canada. I was looking for a place to worship. The Salvation Army has fulfilled that role ever since.

Do you have a ‘hero of the faith’?

The Old Testament prophet, Nehemiah. He had faith, a vision, commitment to the task and knew when to have trust in others.

His approach was a blend of observation, listening, reflection, painting the picture of possibilities, working with others and leadership as required.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

‘Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take’ (Proverbs 3:6 New Living Translation).

What is your favourite Salvation Army song?

I find ‘God of Concrete, God of Steel’ (No 30) interesting because of my education in mechanical engineering technology!

&AWAY

How do you think The Salvation Army in Indonesia differs from the rest of the world?

The integrated mission expression and the commitment to living out the Christian life in a Muslim-dominated society.

What particular challenges does The Salvation Army face in Indonesia?

Limited resources, which causes particular difficulties in a country of many islands, with travel and communication challenges. It can be difficult to upgrade leadership skills while ministering in a country with a predominantly Muslim culture.

What do you miss most about your home country?

Family – our children (this is the first appointment where we have left our children behind), Tim Horton’s restaurant and English as the main language.

What do you like most about Indonesia?

Culture, the people and no winter snow. I also enjoy living on the territorial headquarters compound, with very few steps from our flat to my office desk!

Major William Barthau in a Salvation Army hall in indonesia (top) and distributing relief supplies

&AWAY

What would be your typical day?

Dealing with projects, sending emails, observing, making visits to sites, meeting and networking with individuals and groups of people, obtaining further information, liaising with support staff and personnel, working on possibilities and helping others to dream the possible along with helping to put in place the process for success!

If you were elected General, what would be the first thing you would change?

I will leave that suggestion of change for others to decide since a great amount of latitude already exists for The Salvation Army’s officers and members.

If you could choose to work for The Salvation Army anywhere else, where would you choose and why?

Africa – having served there for 11 years.

Why should The Salvation Army be involved in emergency relief work?

Its knowledge, skill and awareness, along with its ability to assist at the grass roots level, adapting to the local situation.

What skills do you use most in your work?

Technical understanding, human resources, facilitating thought, programme/project development and management.

What skills do you have that you would like the opportunity to use more?

Practical, technical skills like woodworking or construction which I gained in my education as a mechanical engineering technologist.

How would you like to be remembered?

As one who supported and encouraged others to make the world a better place.

&AWAY

AP RI L– JU NE 2 01 2 | ALL THE WORLD |

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TRAINING

T

HE Salvation Army is mandated by mission to assist individuals in crisis. More often than not, that mandate expands outward to include assisting communities in crisis as well. In the midst of large-scale suffering, it is often The Salvation Army’s local presence that is immediately called upon to fill the service gaps. Our frontline personnel and networks can secure on-the-ground intelligence to form assessments and decisions to procure resources, whether for immediate emergency aid or long-term community development. It is always our frontline personnel who understand their local communities, culture and customs best.

Training or continuing education are essential. In austere times, which always bring one back to basics, training becomes critical – how does one perform under difficult conditions?

In today’s information age, knowledge is abundant, and abundantly accessible.

It can easily be suggested that all training should be conducted on the worldwide web where self-study courses and webinars, as productive as they may be, seem to multiply daily.

But remembering, understanding, and applying knowledge is just one level of learning. If left to stand on its own, that level is difficult to retain. The ability to analyse, evaluate and recreate is yet another level of learning, and one that is most productive when taught in context of one’s own community and personal experience. It is that visceral connection that brings the learning home and – in short – results in one’s ability to plan.

In tandem, training and planning

Sound stewardship

by John Berglund

should propel an on-going process as opposed to a finished product with an expiration date. This process should become a specialised tool – if not a spiritual gift – that should be stored prominently on every emergency services tool bench.

Training must unfold a plan woven together by strategy.

Building local capacity is certainly not a new phrase – nor is it unique to The Salvation Army – but it is applicable, as is sustainable resource management. Does building our ‘muscle’ to serve individuals in crisis on a daily basis allow us to flex that conditioned muscle to better serve communities in crisis? If a soup kitchen can provide a daily meal for 100 individuals in need, can it also ramp ‘Training must unfold a plan up to distribute 1,000 meals per day woven together by strategy’ for a community in need?

disaster management training in (top) india and (right) México

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Can we analyse and evaluate the component parts of daily service for individuals in order to synthesise those diverse elements into a new emergency structure that can assist communities? And are we so informed that it can be accomplished quickly, without needless effort or confusion?

Global relief work requires a broad understanding of the international emergency services ‘industry’ – an industry that speaks a jargon regarding performance standards (The Sphere Project), code of conduct, life with dignity, and respect for local culture and custom. And, like all industries, it requires a working knowledge of the active players with whom it comes in contact.

The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services has the expertise as well as access to experienced international workers who can be called upon to come into any territory at any time to advise or consult. Equally important, it has the ability to train local communities to understand their full capacity from an emergency services perspective.

Exercise today what we will be asked to do tomorrow – this is sound stewardship in austere times.

John Berglund is Director of Emergency Services in the Greater New york Division of The Salvation Army’s USA Eastern Territory A PR IL –JU NE 2 0 12

TRAINING

Ready, willing and able Zonal gathering harnesses community strengths

C

ONDUCTING training courses is nothing new for International Emergency Services (IES). Since 2004 it has facilitated almost 40 PREPARE courses all over the world.

The main focus of these courses is to prepare Salvation Army personnel to respond to disasters in their territories or commands quickly – appropriate to the local context and capacity. There is an emphasis on the importance of adhering to internationally accepted codes of conduct. The minimum standards of humanitarian aid are made clear and delegates are encouraged to coordinate their efforts with other stakeholders.

While the topics of mitigation and preparedness are usually touched upon in PREPARE training, it was felt that this didn’t address the question of how communities could prepare themselves.

It was realised that this was a topic that was relevant for both IES and colleagues in International Projects and Development Services (IPDS). Disasters affect people and cause loss of life, property and livelihoods. Sustainable development on a community level needs to address these issues so the community can be prepared for the worst.

During the past few years much discussion has taken place between IES and IPDS about the need to work at grassroots level when it comes to preparedness – assisting communities to become more disaster-resilient. Meetings also took place with other organisations already involved in these kinds of activities and literature was consulted to learn from experts in this field.

‘Disasters affect people and cause loss of life, property and livelihoods’

One of the outcomes from these experiences was a zonal meeting for delegates from across The Salvation Army’s South Asia Zone. Project and/or emergency officers and the programme secretary from The Salvation Army’s Indian territories, Pakistan and Bangladesh – all disaster-prone regions – met in Kathmandu, Nepal, to share ideas, experiences and plans.

The Salvation Army only started in Nepal in 2009 and is therefore still fairly small. For visitors and the local Salvation Army it was a privilege to be able to conduct the meeting in such a special location.

Guest speakers from EFICOR (an Indian non-governmental organisation which partners with Tearfund) and Habitat for Humanity gave some valuable input about how community-based disaster preparedness projects are carried out in their organisations and how these activities could happen in partnership with other groups.

In Bangladesh, The Salvation Army is partnering with Tearfund to run such a project in 10 communities. The representatives from Bangladesh shared their experiences and challenges, and also spoke about the planned next steps.

Delegates looked at biblical principles of preparedness and did a stakeholder analysis, which sought to work out who is involved in communities and how The Salvation Army can network with them.

Mapping exercises helped to identify the areas of risks in the delegates’ respective territories and also highlighted

Above and top: emergency response training workshops in nepal

the areas where The Salvation Army has strengths – especially where there are existing community projects, self-help groups or corps (churches). Comparing these two maps they identified locations that could offer opportunities for community-based disaster preparedness activities.

On the last day the delegates from each territory spent time on a presentation for their leadership.

This zonal meeting was a pilot, but the delegates and organisers felt that it went well. All delegates participated enthusiastically and the four days clearly raised awareness of the issue.

This is just the beginning of the Army’s involvement with community-based disaster preparedness; there is still much to learn. But together we have made a first step towards understanding how The Salvation Army can assist communities to become more resilient.

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FACTFILE

N The plate shown below is attached to every boat provided by The Salvation Army to Japanese fishermen who lost everything in the 2011 tsunami. Captain Kazuyuki ishikawa, who is overseeing the boat provision programme, says that – given the expected lifetime of the boats – the information about The Salvation Army’s assistance to the fishing community will be seen in harbours along the coast for ‘30 to 40 years’. The plate is also attached to other items, including a fork-lift truck!

Projects coordinated through International Emergency Services from 2007-2011: 256 PREPARE training courses run since 2004: 37

THE SALvATION ARMy is hugely grateful for the generous support it receives from the public and from fund-raising agencies around the world. What is perhaps less well known is the funding that is made available for emergency relief work through various parts of The Salvation Army itself, including some countries or areas that would perhaps be expected to need every last dollar (or pound, euro ...) to fund their own work.

SALvATION ARMy DONORS TO INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCy SERvICES FROM 2010-11 Australia Eastern Territory; Australia Southern Territory; Brazil Territory; Canada and Bermuda Territory; Denmark Territory; Eastern Europe Territory; Finland and Estonia Territory; France and Belgium Territory; Germany and Lithuania Territory; Hong Kong and Macau Command; India Central Territory; India Eastern Territory, Indonesia Territory; Italy and Greece Command; Japan Territory; Korea Territory; Latin America North Territory; Malawi Territory; Mexico Territory; The Netherlands and Czech Republic Territory; New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory; Nigeria Territory; Norway, Iceland and The Faeroes Territory; Pakistan Territory; Portugal Command; Salvation Army World Service Office (including funding from USA Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Territories); Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar Territory; South America East Territory; Southern Africa Territory; Spain Command; Sweden and Latvia Territory; Switzerland, Austria and Hungary Territory; Taiwan Region; United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland

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Salvation Army work in Bangladesh began in 1971 after an emergency response to a cyclone the previous year

When – for security reasons – the oversight of Salvation Army emergency relief work in Iraq moved over the border to Kuwait, it had long-term benefits. It became clear that many Indian Salvationists (and some from other Asian countries) were working in Kuwait. After further investigation, Salvation Army officers were appointed to Kuwait in August 2008.

There was no Salvation Army presence in Rwanda until a relief operation began in Kayenzi Commune in September 1994. The following year officers were appointed to develop corps (church) and mission work. Today there are more than 1,000 Salvation Army soldiers in the country.

P A K I S TA N

Where the need is greatest

by Colonel Marguerite Ward

W

HEN disaster strikes, it often impacts those who have the least capacity to deal with it. This is certainly evident in Pakistan. Since 2008, we have experienced an earthquake near Quetta, large groups of people being displaced or loss of life caused by military action, rioting or communal violence and the floods of 2010 and 2011.

The Salvation Army’s response to the floods represented a new philosophy in regards to the inevitable disasters that we can expect in this territory. At a Forward Planning session in June 2010, the participants decided that we should anticipate disasters and not just scramble in response when they occur. This would require developing competent people to assess and provide services when emergencies occur and also to work with communities once the initial response/emergency is finished.

We would, it was decided, invest ourselves in the various places in order to help rebuild communities, develop relationships and remain with the people after a response was complete.

Little did we realise that, one month later, we would experience the great flood of 2010 that consumed almost one-third of the total land mass of Pakistan, resulting in 2,000 deaths and displacing more than 20 million Pakistanis.

The flood coincided with a heavy monsoon season in the country, intensifying the damage and misery. The demand for The Salvation Army’s services created a situation that required much soul-searching and discussion.

Christians constitute only two per cent of the total population of 170 million people in Pakistan. Subsequently, mostly Muslims were affected by the flooding.

We received generous offers of funding from the international community. As a territory, we had to decide where and how this aid money would be spent. The decisions were not easy ones.

We were pressured to consider focusing on supporting Christians first – as a forgotten community. The monsoon caused considerable damage and suffering, but not to the extent of those who had lost everything in the flood – livestock, homes, possessions, crops and even family members.

We agreed to work with the flood victims irrespective of their religion. This was done for several reasons: 1. Being consistent with donor expectations; 2. Our mission is to serve suffering humanity and love them in the name of Christ, without considering their social status or faith; 3. We serve where the need is greatest, where possible; 4. We worked with the communities and their leaders in determining the type of aid required and the beneficiaries; 5. We would continue to build on these new relationships into the future.

to pray with the community during each encounter.

Invariably the people responded positively and joined us in their ‘Amens’.

The Muslims we came into contact with have been very appreciative and frequently ask: ‘Why would you care for us?’ They now see The Salvation Army as a friend and valuable asset to their communities.

How long will it be before our next earthquake, flood or man-made disaster?

Who knows?

In the meantime we are able to transform emergencies in this country into opportunities to serve our people and our Lord in a new and lasting way.

Colonel Marguerite Ward is Territorial President of Women’s Ministries in The Salvation Army’s Pakistan Territory Above: distributing food and other essentials; below: local people help to unload relief supplies

The decision we made has already had its impact and reaped tangible benefits.

We were able to use the opportunities to explain what The Salvation Army was and why we were there. We would offer

‘We agreed to work with the flood victims irrespective of their religion’ A PRI L –JU NE 2 0 12 | ALL THE WORLD |

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BoLiViA: a Salvation Army team member wades his way through flooded streets

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hAiTi: a baby born at a Salvation Army field clinic

Photo by Yves Montoban

roMAniA: officers and Salvationists from iasi travelled across northern romania to provide help after floods destroyed 520 homes in dorohoi. The woman shown being given food and other essentials had lost everything in the floods – even the boots she is wearing were donated by a policeman. She had to line them with newspaper to stop them falling off.

nePAL: delegates to a Salvation Army disaster preparedness workshop share a lighter moment

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deMoCrATiC rePUBLiC oF ConGo: a celebratory crowd gathers in front of the new Salvation Army outpost in Kinigi. The outpost opened after The Salvation Army implemented projects for people who had returned to their community having fled fighting in previous years.

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indiA: this letter of thanks was sent to the leadership of The Salvation Army’s india northern Territory by a community that had been helped to recover from floods. The letter was signed by several community members and, if that were not enough, they personalised the message further by including their thumbprints.

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Sri LAnKA: this dramatic photograph shows a community member working with The Salvation Army to clean debris and foul water from a well that had been compromised during flooding

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KenYA: this brightlydressed woman in Turkana came to collect water that The Salvation Army was distributing. She asked a team member if he would take her photo and, as he readied his camera, she pulled out a mobile phone from her clothes!

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F CUS ON

EMERGENCY SERVICES

A ministry of hope

by Major Drew Ruthven

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AM sitting on a veranda outside my guest house in a small village in Malawi. To anyone looking on, it would seem that life is good! I pick up a cool bottle of cola, lean back and study the Milky Way, trying to recognise some of the stars I know. The night is dark and the conditions are clear, so I can see the heavens above.

I’m comfortable because the evening is warm enough for me to be sitting in shirtsleeves but pleasantly cool compared to the stifling hot day that has been. It is good to sit back and relax after what has been a busy day.

All is well ... but then the mosquitoes – loaded with a dose of malaria and itchy bites – arrive. At this point I remember that I am drinking cola because it is safe whereas the water from the tap is not. Reality – accompanied by its buzzing minions – bites!

Within walking distance of where I sit are hundreds of families who have been forced from their homes. They have no form of shelter for the night so they sleep under the same stars I have been watching. At least they will not be cold overnight.

I am on deployment for The Salvation Army’s International Emergency defined role of the Army in the We have bought fishing boats in a Services. This night is not all that international scene of emergency number of countries, bedding materials for thousands of families, heaters and unusual for me when I am away from services is relatively new.

The role as it exists today began when cooking equipment for families who home, visiting a disaster zone. The comforts of home are a long way away The Salvation Army was asked to help have lost their own. We have built but I am still far better off than most of in the Rwanda refugee crisis in 1994. houses for those who are most the people I am surrounded by. I will The Salvation Army in neighbouring vulnerable and supplied shelter have a bed of some sort tonight and the countries was overwhelmed with the materials for families to build their own locals make sure I have enough safe task at hand and asked IHQ for help. – varying from tarpaulins to tents to water or soft drinks. The food is not This was put into action and the wooden temporary dwellings or permanent homes. always what I would like but I am section had its beginnings.

We have built fences, bought ice The responses required are amazing grateful for something to eat.

The Salvation Army’s International in their variety. We have been involved cream machines for self-help groups, Headquarters (IHQ) has had people in food distributions in camps, refugee and paid people cash for work to performing my coordinating role for centres, schools and individual homes. sustain their families in very difficult more than 17 years. The Army round the world has been helping people in crisis ‘The comforts of home are a long way away but I am still since its beginning nearly far better off than most of the people I am surrounded by’ 147 years ago, but the 14 | ALL THE WORLD |

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Left: women in Kenya wait to collect water from a Salvation Army portable bowser; top: Major drew ruthven and Captain Stanley Phiri cross a crocodile-infested river in Malawi to reach the local divisional headquarters – the only other option was a three-and-a-half hour drive; above: emergency services worker damaris Frick speaks to a Kenyan official about the safety of a group of displaced people

situations. Recently we have built temporary shopping facilities for communities that have been destroyed and need to have their own shops back in place.

From supplying goods and equipment to offering medical, emotional or spiritual help, International Emergency Services has been trying to respond as best it can in these desperate situations.

So why does The Salvation Army do this?

Some feel it should be a role for secular humanitarian workers. Others point to the increasing number of organisations helping in disaster areas.

I’ve heard the argument that, as the money donated round the world for these emergency responses seems to be increasing year by year, the disaster

response field is getting more and more complicated and professional, so why does The Salvation Army work in this time of crisis and chaos? Can’t it be left to other groups?

I would suggest that Christians are called to be active in any community – particularly when it is suffering.

The Salvation Army’s threefold mission imperatives of ‘saving souls, growing saints and serving suffering humanity’ – put so succinctly by thenGeneral John Gowans – struck a chord around the world. So where does International Emergency Services fit in with this ideal?

It’s obvious that we ‘serve suffering humanity’, but I would contend that we are also ‘growing saints’ – saints who help us to help others. It’s my

experience that we are also opening doors for the Army to save souls.

International Emergency Services stands on a biblical foundation of Jesus’ words: ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’ (Matthew 25:40 New International Version 1984).

Our work is a form of ministry to people God cares for and who we are called to be working with.

Historically, The Salvation Army has worked with all types of people, attending to their physical as well as their spiritual needs. I love the story from the Army’s early days when the movement’s Founder, William Booth, talked to his son Bramwell about the people he had seen living under Blackfriars Bridge in London. William famously challenged Bramwell to ‘go and do something!’

I find myself easily aligning International Emergency Services here A PRI L –JU NE 2 0 12 | ALL THE WORLD |

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F O C U S O N . . . E M E R G E N C Y S E RV I C E S

Far left: a malnourished child brought to a clinic in Uganda which was given supplies by The Salvation Army; above: members of the Sunday morning congregation in a flood-hit town in The Philippines – complete with wellington boots!; left: emergency service workers in Kenya are interviewed about the drought response

in London and around the world with William and Bramwell Booth. When we become aware of people in trouble we go to them, listen to their needs and, of course, we ‘do something’!

One of the tasks of International Emergency Services is to keep up with knowledge standards and trends in the humanitarian field. As we are involved with many other international organisations we need to be aware of changes in the accepted approaches to disaster responses.

International Emergency Services personnel train others in disaster response and need to know the latest information regarding technology, resources and current acceptable standards in acting to benefit those affected by disasters. The implications of being involved in international responses are complex for all concerned, and The Salvation Army is required to adhere to standards that have been accepted by all major groups who respond in times of need.

International Emergency Services has only three full-time staff in the office at IHQ (including me!). The role of the department is to coordinate responses – on behalf of Salvation Army territories or commands – to disasters around the world. Currently we are monitoring more than 70 projects.

The task is huge and, of course, such a small staff cannot track everything and also be active on the field constantly.

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Around the world we have people who have been trained by International Emergency Services to respond to and manage disaster situations. We have conducted almost 40 training courses around the world since 2004.

It must be said that the majority of people trained will not be deployed abroad. However, they have gained capacity to work and respond in their own countries.

We cannot do this work alone – the financial resources from donors and the personnel support from all around the world enable the work to happen.

Disasters in recent years have varied in size and complexity but throughout the world the people of The Salvation Army have responded and helped many thousands of disaster-struck families and individuals regain dignity in their living situations.

Having been on the field a number of times, and being involved in organising the deployment of a sizeable number of our trained people, it is easy to see the rewards that come with this work. We do not receive monetary gains or tangible benefits.

The rewards are many in terms of seeing people helped to cope with desperate situations. We gain so much through the satisfaction of bringing some form of order out of chaos. More than anything we are hugely blessed – blessed in being able to be God’s people, bringing hope into the lives of people who may have thought that hope was gone.

Major Drew Ruthven is Coordinator of the International Emergency Services team, based at The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters in London

INTerNATIoNAl emerGeNcy ServIceS mISSIoN STATemeNT Moved by compassion and in obedience to the example of Jesus Christ, the International Emergency Services section of The Salvation Army provides support, training and resources to respond to the needs of those affected by emergencies without discrimination.

THE PHILIPPINES

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Y definition, flash flooding hits hard and fast. This was particularly in evidence when heavy rains caused widespread flooding in The Philippines in December 2011.

More than a million people were affected, with 1,250 known to have been killed.

For Salvation Army officer-couple Captains Mark Evan and Aileen Tan, the flash flooding of 16-17 December concluded in a night of high drama and extreme danger.

Captain Mark remembers: ‘Tropical Storm “Washi”, locally known as Above: Captain Mark evan Tan with his daughter Chloe in the newly cleaned iligan Corps hall; below: Captains Mark and Aileen with Chloe

Rising danger “Sendong”, was not predicted to be too gusty but our local weather agency warned that it would bring heavy rainfall.

‘On 16 December, the people of the Northern Mindanao region of The Philippines were going about their normal routines, preparing for the weekend and looking forward to Christmas. I was staying away from my home in Iligan because, with two fellow-officers, I was busy with Red Shield kettle collections.

The mall where we had our kettle was having a special sale so we wanted to grab the opportunity to carry out a collection among the expected crowds, even though the weather was not good.

‘As the floods rose Aileen started to panic’

‘I spoke to my wife Aileen on the phone most of the night, talking about ministry opportunities. There was no sign that things would take a turn for the worse until she texted me to say that the water was rising significantly and that it was just about to enter our home.

‘She began grabbing important things and putting them where she thought they would be safe.

‘People who had lived in Iligan for many years had assured us that the water never reached higher than waist level but as the floods rose Aileen started to panic.

Instead of going outside to find a safe place she stood on the work surface in the kitchen – almost in the kitchen sink!

‘Aileen was sure that the water would not get any higher. She also wanted to avoid having to swim to safety – especially A PRI L –JU NE 2 0 12 | ALL THE WORLD |

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THE PHILIPPINES

Above: territorial headquarters officer Lieut-Colonel Virgilio Menia on the mud-strewn path outside iligan Corps; above right: the kitchen (and sink) where Captain Aileen Tan sought refuge from the floods; right: preparing food for distribution in Cagayan; far right: food distribution in iligan

as she was eight months pregnant and she was holding onto our one-year-old daughter, Chloe!’

It was not long before the situation became even more serious.

Captain Mark says: ‘When I called her she told me that the water was up to her knees, even though she was standing on the kitchen worktop. Five minutes later it was up to her waist!

‘I told her to get out and to leave the house, but she kept on repeating over and over: “What should I do?”

‘I felt so helpless.

‘When the phone line went dead I began to pray: “Give my wife wisdom in order for her to know what to do. She’s your minister and I know that if you still have plans for her you will save her.”

‘I clung on to God’s promise that he will never forsake his people and prayed for faith to believe that he would keep my family safe.

‘Immediately I felt God give me a sense of peace.’

Soon after, one of the captain’s colleagues rang with the news he had been praying for – his family was safe.

Only later did he find out how treacherous the situation had become.

‘The water had almost reached ceiling level and during that time Aileen put Chloe in the fridge, which amazingly floated in front of her, allowing her more freedom to swim to safety.’

Her first attempt to find somewhere to put Chloe had been less successful – she had put her in a washing bowl, only to discover that it had a hole in the bottom!

Some neighbours heard Aileen crying out for help and bravely put their own lives at risk to save her and Chloe, although not before more drama as Chloe slipped through the hands of one of the rescuers, only to be caught before she fell into the water.

Captain Mark says: ‘The experience has nourished my faith in God and made me realise how important my family is to me.

‘This calamity taught me a valuable lesson – to give complete trust to our trustworthy Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’

Despite the damage to his own house and the traumatic experience with his family, Captain Mark took a lead role in the relief activities that followed.

After consultation with community leaders and in coordination with the local government, The Salvation Army assisted with the supply of relief items to remote areas. Village leaders received vouchers and the government provided transport, helpers and military support for security and loading.

The Salvation Army organised a team of 37 volunteers, mainly students home for the Christmas holidays. Five thousand families (3,000 in Cagayan, 2,000 in Iligan) received relief supplies including rice, coffee, sugar, noodles, corned beef, mats, blankets and mosquito nets.

More than three months after ‘Chloe slipped through the the floods the situation is still hands of one of the rescuers’ hard for many people. About

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26,000 survivors remain in oftenovercrowded evacuation centres in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. An estimated 200,000 people are seeking refuge in makeshift shelters and with host families in their areas of origin.

As in many situations, The Salvation Army had a presence in the area long before the disaster, and it will still be there after other organisations have moved out.

Handing out relief items is one thing but living in the communities – sharing their sense of trauma and loss – makes a lasting difference.

Captains Mark and Aileen’s baby, Mark Junior, was born in January 2012.

Mother and baby – and sister Chloe – are doing well.

NEW ZEALAND

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YEAR after earthquakes that took 185 lives, the residents of Christchurch, New Zealand, are enduring the uncertainty of the future with considerable stoicism and patience.

The Salvation Army’s earthquake response team of more than 30 dedicated staff, along with a citywide network of corps-based Community Ministry Centres, are to the fore in providing help to the affected and vulnerable in the city.

More than 10,000 homes will be demolished and not rebuilt, which is having a huge impact on families and whole communities. But through all this there is a feeling that, while life will never be the same as before the quakes, there is an opportunity to create something new and better.

Understandably, a number of people and families have left Christchurch. The stress of the on-going shakes and the uncertainty about when they might stop, the need to find work and housing, and securing a future for families have all been catalysts. Others stay. Some have little option as Christchurch is their home, their extended families and support groups are here, they have too much tied up in their houses or businesses to be able to leave. Some choose to stay as they want to be part of the rebuild of the city.

The major areas of concern for me are the children and the elderly. Both groups are vulnerable. I fear that, for the children, the earthquake trauma will have a negative impact on their development for many years to come. We are countering Top left: more than 800 schoolchildren enjoy a ‘fun day’ organised by the earthquake response team.

They are shown making a 115-metre-long banana split, complete with bananas, ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate topping!; top right: children from a quake-hit Christchurch school enjoy a Salvation Army-organised day out at an animal park

Walking alongside

by Bruce Coffey team and through the full range of services available from the Community Ministry Centres. The Army’s work is greatly appreciated judging by the words of thanks from many at the recent first-anniversary memorial service, at which more than 10,000 bottles of water were given out.

It is humbling and a privilege to be able to minister to people. We thank God for the tasks he has entrusted to us. We are moved when we hear of the tears of joy of a mother who needed to relocate out of the city because of the negative impact the shakes were having on her eight- and 15-year-old children – bed-wetting, fear, verbal abuse, poor school performance.

She says that it all changed once they arrived in their new home.

The 18 months since the first major quake cannot be reclaimed and relived. A new ‘normal’ for individuals, families, businesses and the community is emerging – but it is one of both uncertainty and hope.

The people of Christchurch are rising to the task of rebuilding their lives and providing as best they can for themselves and their families. The Salvation Army is there to walk alongside those who are struggling, supporting them through the transition.

‘The people of Christchurch are rising to the task of rebuilding their lives’ this by having Salvation Army staff work in 15 severely affected primary schools in low socio-economic areas. They support the teachers, children and families with a bit of fun and joy, through activities like outdoor ventures, having a school fun day or providing a barbecue lunch.

The major concern for older citizens is of them becoming increasingly isolated as their neighbourhoods are cleared of friends, community networks and support services. We are worried that some in damaged homes will still not have made alternative accommodation arrangements by the time the bulldozers arrive.

Should this happen we want them to think of The Salvation Army as their first line of support so our community van outreach teams are making regular visits to the worst-affected areas. We have completed a letter box drop with leaflets that identify team members by name and advise when the vans will be in the area so people can visit us ‘for a cup of tea and a chat’. A dedicated website for the community outreach has also been created – www.salliescarevans.org.nz The specific needs of individuals are continuing to be met by a team of six dedicated social workers, a pastoral care

Bruce Coffey is The Salvation Army’s Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Manager A PRI L –JU NE 2 0 12 | ALL THE WORLD |

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A F R I C A D RO U G H T

Short-term solutions and long-term benefits

by Damaris Frick

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T’S half past three on a Friday afternoon in July 2011 in Lowarangak, Turkana County, northern Kenya. Drought has caused the region’s worst famine in 60 years, with 12 million people at risk of starvation across Eastern Africa. Captain Isaac Siundu, Project Officer for The Salvation Army’s Kenya West Territory, has travelled to Turkana to conduct an assessment of the situation.

The temperature is a roasting 40 degrees Celsius. The countryside is open and hilly. The skies are blue and cloudless – and everything on the ground is brown or grey. A dry, dusty wind blows towards the sun-scorched Lokitaung Hills. It has not rained for two years.

The sights Isaac sees and the stories he hears are heartbreaking.

He writes in his report: ‘Mary Asimit sits under a leafless acacia tree with her children, eating wild fruits. Their bodies are weak and emaciated. The skin on their bodies is dry and their eyes sunken.’

‘Our home is in Todonyang,’ Mary tells him. ‘When my last goat died in May, I took my two children and walked for two days and nights looking for something to eat.

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‘We had heard that food was being given out in Lowarangak but when we arrived here the food was finished. Now I eat these wild, bitter fruits with my children.’ The situation in other parts of Kenya and neighbouring Uganda looked similarly dire. Food and water are priorities and the needs are great.

Moving on a few months, The Salvation Army has implemented several projects.

They range from short-term responses such as water trucking and distribution to remote areas, food distributions or the provision of bedding and hygiene articles to health centres, to longer-term solutions such as boreholes and the provision of seeds.

For the first three months food distributions took place in various locations. Ruben, a Salvation Army corps sergeant-major in Isiolo District, is blind.

‘I took my two children and walked for two days and nights looking for something to eat’

But that didn’t stop him taking an active role in organising the food distributions in his area.

One of the locations for the monthly distribution was the compound of his house in Isiolo town, and focused on 97 people (and their families) with physical and mental disabilities. Many of these people face a lot of challenges even without the drought.

Ruben’s own impairments gave him a special compassion for these people.

When the territorial leadership came for one of the distributions, Ruben and a blind friend of his led the beneficiaries in songs of gratefulness and hope.

Schools have been supported as well.

In The Salvation Army’s Kenya East Territory, cooked meals are provided to 3,500 children in 16 primary schools.

Secondary schools were targeted in the Turkana region, which is part of the Kenya West Territory. This project was called ‘Food for Fees’ because in exchange for food items 20 schools waived large parts of the pupils’ school fees.

These projects are only going on for one or two school terms and are not

A F R I C A D RO U G H T

opposite page: schoolboys in Kenya work together to get the base of a water tank in place; left: a new borehole in Uganda; below left: damaris Frick helps with food distribution at a school in Kenya; below right: a disabled man in a Kenyan community signs up to receive assistance

providing a sustainable solution. But they are supporting children, parents and schools at the most critical time.

Sustainable water sources are provided in Uganda and Kenya. Depending on the water level, these are boreholes with simple hand or electrical pumps run by solar power.

In early January 2012, Major Emmanuel Sichibona from the Uganda Territory reported about the boreholes planned for one of the projects: ‘We have now succeeded in drilling 10 boreholes,’

he wrote. ‘The 10th bore was planned to be situated in Logi, Bulambuli, but because of impassable roads the area could not be reached and a new location was considered. The community members then organised themselves after learning that the bore which was meant for them was relocated to another place due to impassable roads, and they repaired the road!’

The drought is not yet over. Much of the relief food will have been eaten by now but there are benefits that remain even

beyond the sustainable projects like boreholes.

These are probably less tangible results such as community members organising themselves, remembering their own strength and capacities, or children being enabled to continue their education.

Thanks to the selfless love and commitment shown by Salvation Army workers and ‘ordinary’ Salvationists, all of these add up to hope for people who had almost lost it.

Damaris Frick is a member of The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services team, based at International Headquarters in London, UK

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C O U N T RY O R T H E M E

SNAPSHOTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

GEORGIA THE country of Georgia is often hit by earthquakes, avalanches, mudslides and other natural disasters. The Lagodekhi Region is particularly prone to floods.

Lying at the base of a long mountain range, this area floods every year, destroying crops and ruining stored food.

In 2011 The Salvation Army was able to contribute in a small but meaningful way to those affected. Each qualifying family received a 50 kilo bag of flour, which would almost certainly be used to make bread, a staple of the Georgian diet.

A small number of the recipients arrived by car to collect their flour but most utilised wheelbarrows or wagons drawn by horse or donkey.

Major Bradley Caldwell, commander of The Salvation Army’s Georgia Region (part of the Eastern Europe Territory), reports: ‘One elderly lady arrived with her grandchildren, who tended the donkey while she conferred with Captain Beso Nebieridze, who supervised one of the distribution locations. This grandmother said that the flood had not only destroyed the family's food supply, but had also severely damaged her home.

She tearfully thanked The Salvation Army for its humanitarian effort.

‘Another citizen requested prayer due to her family’s overwhelming loss.

‘As they collaborated long after sunset – reading approved recipient lists by the light of a cellphone – Salvation Army officers, soldiers and other volunteers were touched at the plight of those they came to bless.’

GUATEMALA WHEN Santa Rosa, Guatemala, was hit by a series of earthquakes in September 2011, killing three people and forcing hundreds from their homes, The Salvation Army reacted quickly.

A team from Guatemala Divisional Headquarters took to the streets to distribute food, blankets and mattresses. These slides from a PowerPoint presentation put together by the Latin America North Territory show various aspects of the response.

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S N A P S H OT S

LIBERIA THE journey from Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, to Grand Gedeh County takes about 12 hours, travelling on rough roads.

This inconvenience didn’t stop Salvationists from Liberia Command Headquarters in Monrovia making the journey to provide assistance to refugees who had fled fighting in neighbouring Ivory Coast.

After two assessment visits had been made, a convoy of two trucks and five cars made its way to Solo Town Refugee Camp

they met had survived dreadful situations.

Some of the women had been raped by rebels, others had lost husbands and now had no way to provide for their children.

near Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County.

A Salvation Army team took two days to distribute ‘emergency disaster bags’, each containing clothes, rice, vegetable oil, tomatoes and other essentials. The people

Momo Gborkowkollie Douwee, Protocol and Communications Officer for the Liberia Command, says: ‘The Ivorian situation brought back fresh memories of the restless and bloody Liberian war.’

Salvationists at command headquarters were happy to work in their own time to pack the bags.

INDIA FLOODS are an annual occurrence in many parts of India but for the people affected, each disaster is devastatingly significant. In the northern Indian region of Moradabad, for instance, 150 villages were affected by flooding in September 2010. The Emergency and Disaster Secretary from The Salvation Army’s India Northern Territory worked with other Salvation Army personnel to distribute food and blankets to 1,500 families. Around the same time in Assam, eastern India, 286 flood-affected families were supported with food, mosquito nets and tarpaulins.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC IN August 2011 Hurricane Irene brought devastation to the Dominican Republic. The local Salvation Army reacted immediately, talking with people to discover what they really needed, getting together with other groups and churches and then assisting people in need.

In some cases food items were distributed, in others it was clothes. Some people received beds, mats or even roofing sheets. On more than one occasion Salvation Army officers and helpers even climbed on houses to assist with the manual labour of repairing roofs for families who couldn’t do it themselves.

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible.

Its ministry is motivated by love for God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in his name without discrimination.

Now working in 124 countries, The Salvation Army has been offering help, hope and God’s love to people in need since 1865.

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