All The World (October-December 2018)

Recognising humanity in MEXICO TRAINING for if the worst happens Evaluating a response in UGANDA UPDATED emergency response map

PIECING TOGETHER AN

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

VOL 56 NO 4

EMERGENCY SERVICES SPECIAL ISSUE

OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2018

CONTENTS

OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2018

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

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UPFRONT From the Editor

04

FACTFILE The emergency project cycle

05

ASSESSMENT Making preparations in Bangladesh

08

IMPLEMENTATION Personal responses in Mexico

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HOME AND AWAY Thoughts from here and there

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PHOTO SPREAD Images of disaster relief

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IMPLEMENTATION Welcoming refugees in Germany

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MONITORING Checking and adjusting in Uganda

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CAPACITY BUILDING Programmes that train and enable

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INSPIRATION The reasons why

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15 20

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21

Cover illustration by Berni Georges

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Why? Who? How? FOR many thousands of people around the world, their first contact with The Salvation Army will be as recipients of emergency relief. This is reflected on in this issue by Commissioner Birgitte Brekke-Clifton as she considers why an organisation that started life more than 150 years ago in east London as a mission to preach the gospel should put its time, effort and resources into responding to disasters and crises worldwide.

‘We live out our theology,’ writes the commissioner, ‘in a practical, hands-on response to the needs around us.’ I’m sure the 438,298 people who were assisted through Salvation Army emergency responses in one year – according to The Salvation Army Year Book 2018 – would say ‘amen’ to that!

This issue of All the World looks at the various aspects of emergency response, from what happens in the immediate aftermath of a disaster to the various processes and procedures put in place to make sure that any relief activities are carried out in a way that brings the greatest and most appropriate benefit to the people who need it most.

If that sounds a little dry and theoretical, let me assure you that it most certainly is not! At the heart of every response are people. They are often hurting, scared, confused people – but they are also resilient human beings who simply don’t have the resources to help themselves.

People across the world have amazing depths to draw upon when needed, irrespective of race, culture or wealth.

Any emergency services deployee will tell you about the extraordinary capacity of the people they help. Resilience knows no borders!

So, with people firmly at the heart of every response – The Salvation Army’s mission statement says it will ‘meet human needs in [Jesus’] name without discrimination’ – we move from ‘why?’ and ‘who?’ to ‘how?’

And it’s not just ‘how can we ...?’ but ‘how can we do it best?’

The Salvation Army’s Founder, William Booth, was a famously hard taskmaster, apparently responding to reports of success with ‘that and better will do!’ I’m not sure how his manmanagement style would go down

Kevin Sims, Editor

UPFRONT

FROM THE EDITOR

today, but he did have a point – and one that is made clear throughout the stories featured here. ‘Good enough’ simply isn’t good enough!

As you will see, The Salvation Army’s emergency responders are constantly looking to improve, through training but also by constantly working with and listening to beneficiaries to ensure they are providing not just help but the right help.

This approach will ensure that the almost half a million people a year who benefit from Salvation Army relief assistance will remember not only that they were helped, but also that they were listened to, valued and respected.

I’d suggest this is a good lesson not only for treating people in an emergency but also for any interactions in our dayto-day lives – always remembering, as the Founder would remind us, that ‘better will do’.

‘It’s not just ”how can we ...?“ but ”how can we do it best?“’ EDITOR Kevin Sims

FOUNDER William Booth

DESIGN AND ARTWORK Berni Georges

GENERAL Brian Peddle

EDITORIAL OFFICE The Salvation Army International Headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street London EC4V 4EH, United Kingdom

© The General of The Salvation Army 2018

Tel: [44] (0)20 7332 0101

Published by Brian Peddle General of The Salvation Army

Email: IHQ-alltheworld@salvationarmy.org

Printed in the UK by Lamport Gilbert Printers Ltd

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FACTFILE

N

The Salvation Army Emergency Project Cycle DISASTER

A crisis takes place somewhere in the world. This can range from natural disasters, drought, famine and disease outbreak, to refugee crises, displacement through conflict and political violence.

ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS

Salvation Army emergency services representatives, either local or international, visit the site of the disaster and engage with other stakeholders, local authorities, potential beneficiaries and the local Salvation Army. This is about the gathering of data and typically addresses three key issues: • Identify the damage • Identify the needs • Identify the beneficiaries.

Once gathered, the information is analysed.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Ongoing monitoring throughout the implementation phase is vital. If necessary, changes have to be made to the initial plan.

Sometimes a larger or more complex project requires a monitoring visit from International Emergency Services, where a similar but slightly more detailed report is written.

Evaluation happens after the completion of a project, considering what lessons can be learned and assessing if some needs are still to be met or whether beneficiaries can be helped further.

The new data could lead to further analysis – and potentially even a new project.

PLANNING

Salvation Army emergency services team members devise a project or operational plan that aims to be: • Achievable • Life-saving • Efficient • Measureable.

They also need to ensure that it avoids duplication and provides complementary services to those being provided by other agencies or the authorities.

IMPLEMENTATION

TRAINING AND PREPAREDNESS

Led by local emergency services representatives, a team of community volunteers, Salvationists, officers and sometimes internationally deployed team members sets about putting the plan into action.

This will always involve spending time with affected people to guarantee their needs are met in a way that preserves and encourages dignity.

Where possible, International Emergency Services works with Salvation Army territories to build up their capacity in case of an emergency. Workshops address: • Disaster risk reduction • Skills for deployment • PREPARE training for international responders • Peace building.

A territory can receive a mix of these trainings depending on its individual needs.

This will enable the local Salvation Army to be ready for when ...

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EMERGENCY PROJECT CYCLE

ASSESSSMENT

BANGLADESH

Walking alongside refugees

by Samuel Shearer

T

he first steps are often the hardest. Take the Rohingya refugee crisis, for example.

Almost one million refugees (80 per cent of whom are women and children) in the largest refugee camp in the world, in a barren and inhospitable landscape, with food the people don’t understand, barely enough water to survive, and what can only be described as questionable access to latrines. And this is before the rainy season, when the monsoons will destroy homes and spread cholera and diphtheria.

Into this situation comes The Salvation Army, to provide valuable, balanced, and discerning support. The first steps

are often the hardest. But we find our feet eventually, with the ‘first steps’ in this instance being a well-considered assessment.

It happens like this: a disaster occurs – in this case, the August-December 2017 influx of an additional 600,000 refugees from Myanmar to the southern tip of Bangladesh. The world notices (or sometimes doesn’t, but I won’t go into that now) and if there is a Salvation Army presence in the disaster’s location then International Emergency Services (IES) offers its skills and support to help mitigate as many of the effects as possible.

On rare occasions, The Salvation Army is the sole international humanitarian presence. But in most situations, especially ones as large as a refugee crisis, we work as part of a larger coordinated response with a multitude of other nongovernmental organisations (NGOs).

Above: Damaris Frick and Samuel Shearer look around the refugee camp at Cox’s Bazar

When a disaster is smaller in scale, or if the local Salvation Army project teams are large, it is most likely that they will conduct an assessment visit without the assistance of IES. This will usually involve visiting the location of the disaster and meeting with other stakeholders (NGOs, businesses, organisations and teams that are interested or already involved in the emergency response) to discuss a coordinated response which effectively and efficiently meets the most needs of the most beneficiaries.

Meetings will be held with government officials to discuss The Salvation Army’s role in the relief effort and gather any permissions necessary for the work to begin.

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ASSESSSMENT

When a disaster is larger, more complex, or the local project team is smaller, then IES can make an assessment visit to bolster and support the efforts of the local Army presence.

This was the case in February 2018, when I travelled with Damaris Frick (Deputy Coordinator, IES) to the coastal area of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The purpose of our trip was to accompany the team from The Salvation Army’s Bangladesh Command to Kutupalong refugee camp and assess how The Salvation Army might best support the needs of the Rohingya people living there.

I have never seen anything like it in my life – not on TV nor in a book, not in school nor anywhere on my travels.

I have never, not once, seen anything

like these refugee camps. As it currently stands, they provide a temporary ‘home’ to more than 710,000 refugees in an area 10 times the size of London’s Hyde Park.

At one point, I found myself standing atop the highest hill in the camp, turning full circle, desperate for a glimpse of the edge – a sign that this chaos had an end.

I couldn’t find one.

The tents, and some of them could barely be called that, stretched unyieldingly to the rippling line of the white-hot midday horizon and disappeared beyond it. The need was great. It still is, and I found myself feeling wildly and unequivocally unequal to the task. As I say, the first steps are often the hardest.

The benefit of including an IES visit in the assessment process is that it means the

‘A great project – one that saves lives, reduces fear and builds human dignity – is never achieved by good intentions alone’ 6 | ALL THE WORLD |

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project proposal is borne of two minds.

Firstly, you have the local Salvation Army personnel, who take the lead, providing cultural context, background information and local connections. They are integral to the assessment process, as they are the ones who will see the relief work through its implementation.

What IES brings to the table is something broader and less specific, but certainly no less valuable: experience and international perspective. With a presence in more than 130 countries, many of which are prone to disasters, the work of The Salvation Army is vast and the demand on resources is high. It is therefore important that we always work within realistic means and never promise money or resources which we are unable to provide.

It is for this reason that project proposals will often go through multiple changes before they are approved, financed and implemented – a constant battle between what we want to do, what we should do, and what is within our power to achieve.

Fortunately, the outcome is almost always a stronger project which has roots

ASSESSSMENT

Opposite page: a view of the vast refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar; left: Samuel Shearer looks at the map of the Rohingya camps in the office of the camp manager in Kutupalong; below left: a coordination meeting run by the Bangladesh Government

in both the soul of the country in which it will unfold and the core mission of The Salvation Army.

Of course, any number of factors, not just internal ones, can shift the trajectory of relief work as it is being formed.

When we were in Bangladesh, we considered several options, including the provision of shelter and food. The important aspect was to come up with a plan that would work with local authorities and partner organisations to fulfil the most important needs.

Below: a solar panel and accessories, ready for distribution

The project that is now underway went through innumerable changes before it began implementation. In this case, we finally agreed to oversee the distribution of solar-powered lights and outlet sockets for the Rohingya to charge their phones (a vital tool in maintaining contact with family back in Myanmar and any government or aid bodies on whom they rely), supporting more than 19,000 people.

Many countries have strict guidelines about how international humanitarian funds may be spent and by whom, causing changes and delays if an NGO bureau is unconvinced by a proposed project. Equally, with a situation as large and multi-faceted as a refugee crisis there are so many international players that – even with transparency between NGOs – we can accidentally ‘step on each other’s toes’, causing projects to be rewritten. But eventually we find our feet and – once a project proposal is

complete – it is discussed by a number of boards for approval and then the work of implementation begins.

The assessment process is a vitally important part of humanitarian work. It is the stage where we mitigate potential issues before they arise, manage risks, gather finances and recruit local workers.

It is a time when we are in constant communication with our brothers and sisters around the world, planning, creating and building something together to aid those in need. We don’t always get it right, sometimes we miss things, and sometimes it can be deeply frustrating with delays due to political processes and even our own internal systems.

But the reality is that nothing would be done without the assessment process, even with all its hurdles.

We sometimes find it easy to shake our heads or roll our eyes as we rewrite or restructure a project over and over again.

But all this work is made invaluable if it means that a Rohingya mother can walk back from the market with her children without fear of getting lost, robbed or worse.

A great project – one that saves lives, reduces fear and builds human dignity – is never achieved by good intentions alone. Without the dedicated and often gruelling work of those on the ground and in the office, this vital work would remain undone.

The first steps are often the hardest, but they are also often the most important.

Samuel Shearer provided administration and communications support to International Emergency Services OC TOBE R– DE C E M BE R 2018 | ALL THE WORLD |

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MEXICO

IMPLEMENTATION

Remembering the human in humanitarian

T

HERE is nothing quite like an earthquake. Storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes all arrive from elsewhere to destroy. But an earthquake feels more personal, coming without warning from the very ground beneath your feet – the land you call home. And an earthquake need last only a few seconds to cause years of damage.

As with all disasters, understanding how affected people feel is key to a successful emergency response. Statistics are vital to planning, but the people whose homes are destroyed or whose children are left vulnerable and scared are not just numbers.

This is true throughout every stage of an emergency response, but the implementation stage is probably when the approach has to take into account the humanity of recipients. Many are shocked

or scared, and it’s vital to treat everyone with compassion and understanding.

On 7 September 2017, the Oaxaca region of southern Mexico suffered an earthquake of 8.2 magnitude (the second largest in Mexico’s history).

Almost 100 people died and hundreds of thousands were left in dire need of humanitarian aid. Then, less than two weeks later, another quake – this time magnitude 7.1 – hit Mexico City and the surrounding area, killing more than 200 people and causing massive, widespread destruction.

Led by a desire to see the needs of the people met and their dignity restored, The Salvation Army’s Mexico Territory was quick to respond. Led by Captain Miguel Rodriguez (Emergency Services Coordinator) it responded to both earthquakes in tandem, providing hot meals, dry food goods, non-food items,

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Above: a damaged house in Juchitan

and vouchers for the purchase of essential building materials.

In Oaxaca, The Salvation Army provided 21,000 hot meals per day for two weeks – 294,000 meals.

Coordinating such a response is no mean feat. Territorial headquarters is in Mexico City, which made the response there relatively simple to organise, but it’s more than 300 miles of heavy terrain away from Oaxaca (a location where The Salvation Army had no presence).

Sometimes The Salvation Army will be forced to forego responding to an emergency if the practicalities are simply unfeasible, perhaps due to the inaccessibility of the affected people.

In cases such as these, local emergency teams and The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services (IES) team work hard to exhaust all viable options before a project is completely

IMPLEMENTATION

Left: a newly-built house; below: distributing vouchers with which people can buy materials to repair houses; bottom: looking round a newly-repaired home

written off as impractical. The response in Oaxaca is one such response where tireless efforts of the local team meant that ‘unreachable’ people were provided with essential, life-saving items.

Maria, an elderly woman from the region of Pijijiapan in Oaxaca, told officers that she and her husband had feared no one would come to them as they lived in a remote, hilly area. They knew that others in more accessible areas had received aid more quickly and worried that they would be forgotten.

‘Nobody else came,’ she said ‘but you

came and gave very good help and support [for which] we are grateful.’

The help to which she refers is the provision of vouchers which were used to purchase building supplies to mend their home. They were not among the beneficiaries who needed food, as they had ‘devoted themselves to the land’ and were able to salvage what remained of their crops and livestock.

It is detail such as this which makes the implementation process complicated but also rewarding.

Maria and her husband received aid that was specific to them, meeting needs which others may not have had. They were viewed by the local emergency team as people, not numbers.

Providing a rapid, well-organised response is important to ensure that the most people are helped in the most efficient manner. The sooner the effects of a disaster are met, the less compounding they become.

At times, however, speed and efficiency can outweigh humanity and dignity. A ‘one-size-fits-all’ response

could provide people with inappropriate and even unwanted assistance, leaving real needs unmet.

The Mexico Territory’s response to both earthquakes is a prime example of mitigating this issue. It is possible that distributing vouchers for construction materials could appear to be technically less efficient than distributing the materials themselves – although this response will have been considered during the assessment phase of the project.

However, efficiency and humanity are not always harmonious. Giving everyone the same aid is only beneficial if everyone has the same level and type of need – something which is highly unlikely.

What was also taken into consideration was that the provision of outside materials denied local businesses the trade they needed and diminished the independence and dignity of those rebuilding their homes. To provide people with aid but deny them their dignity is to reduce need to a number.

And so the implementation process goes on, with a response that is unique to each person involved. Take Eustolio, for instance, who is unable to sign for a voucher as a ‘life in the field’ has denied him literacy skills. His need is as great as any other person’s, so he is given the option to provide a simple thumbprint to show he has collected his voucher.

‘The water tank for my animals cracked open,’ he told Salvation Army team members. ‘They are my livelihood and I was scared they would die. But with this help I am able to get what I need to rebuild.’

Implementation is not just the result of an equation. It is the body of the project cycle – like an affected community itself, it is a moving, breathing, living thing made up of a thousand parts.

‘It was complicated,’ says Captain Miguel Rodriguez, ‘but we had to do it.’

Tens of thousands of people benefitted from the work that was undertaken by The Salvation Army in Mexico. Family by family, need by need, the people of Mexico have seem their lives and hope restored – and all the while each person is treated as an individual and with dignity and compassion.

Article compiled by Samuel Shearer from stories and other content provided by Captain Miguel Rodriguez OC TOBE R– DE C E M BE R 2018 | ALL THE WORLD |

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HOME AND AWAY

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 VILO EXANTUS Born in Haiti, Major Vilo Exantus works for The Salvation Army’s Caribbean Territory

What is your role in The Salvation Army?

I am the Disaster Coordinator and Pastoral Care Officer for the Caribbean Territory.

How did you meet The Salvation Army?

From a corps officer (minister) visiting my home.

HOME

Do you have a ‘hero of the faith’?

Commissioner Edward Read continues to be my hero of the faith, though he has long gone to be with the Lord. My next hero of the faith is Commissioner Mark Tillsley (previously Territorial Commander for the Caribbean Territory, currently International Secretary for the Americas and Caribbean at International Headquarters). These people have inspired me deeply by their simple Christian living and I saw Christ in them.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

One of my favourite Bible verses is Ephesians 3:20: ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us ...’

What is your favourite Salvation Army song?

Song 79 in The Song Book of The Salvation Army – Albert Orsborn’s ‘I Know Thee who Thou Art’.

How do you think that working in the Caribbean differs from working elsewhere?

You work more and earn less, but you see more results numerically in terms of people accepting Christ and following him. Also, in most instances the environment is more friendly and relaxed [than elsewhere].

What do you like most about the Caribbean?

The cultural diversity, the climate and the friendliness of the people.

What aspects of another country’s culture do you wish were present in the Caribbean?

The re-enforcement of the law, respect for human rights, justice for all and the acceptance of diversity.

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

I would apply the internationalism of The Salvation Army in appointing more officers to different territories in order to create more cultural exchange, emphasising more holy living and the principles of The Salvation Army internationally. It is not that it is not happening right now, but I would emphasise it more. Also, in an officer-couple relationship, when there is a serious breach but only one is guilty, I would allow the innocent party to continue in his or her rank.

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Major Vilo (waving) with the emergency team heading to Sint Maarten for the hurricane response

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

I would choose the United States of America, because of the cultural diversity which would give me the opportunity to use my language skills and interact with other cultures – something I enjoy very much.

What skills do you use most in your work?

Listening, counselling and preaching.

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

I would like to have the opportunity to use more of my skills with languages.

How would you like to be remembered?

As a man who lived for God and for people.

Why should The Salvation Army be involved in disaster relief?

Because it is God’s will to rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, care for those who suffer and relieve suffering humanity.

What’s so special about The Salvation Army?

Its non-discriminatory love for God and the whole person.

Major Vilo in front of a repaired house in Sint Maarten

&

away

What is your role in The Salvation Army?

I’m the Finance Officer for The Salvation Army’s Italy and Greece Command.

How did you meet The Salvation Army?

In my final year at university, at the age of 20, I volunteered at the local Salvation Army Family Store (thrift shop), technically meeting my parents’ condition that I had to have a part-time job!

Do you have a ‘claim to fame’?

I am unusual among accountants in having had some amazing life experiences rather than a mundane existence in numbers!

Do you have a ‘hero of the faith’?

Having worked in Pakistan I do have some heroes of the faith from there. The Afghan Refugee Assistance Project in the 1980s – initially providing emergency relief and medical assistance to many thousands of people fleeing a warzone in the neighbouring country – developed into a longer-term rehabilitation programme in which the management was eventually handed to the Afghans themselves. It is inspiring because Salvationists were committed to assist people while adapting to two different cultures (Afghani and Pakistani). They remind me in the present day of The Salvation Army’s mission ‘to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination’.

I also think of Envoy Matthew Syed Mazhar Hussain Rizvi – a Muslim scholar who had a spiritual longing (Sehnsucht) which was met through his interactions with Christians. He became a Christian and served The Salvation Army as an envoy. In the 1960s – with no facilities – he started teaching children in a school that became the Azam Town Secondary School, now attended by more than 600 students.

&AWAY

What is your favourite Bible verse?

‘Il Signore, il tuo Dio, è in mezzo a te, come un potente che salva.

Egli si rallegrerà con gran gioia per cause tua; si acqueterà nel suo amore, esulterà per causa tua con grida di gioia’ (Sofonia 3:17) – ‘The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing’ (Zephaniah 3:17).

What is your favourite Salvation Army song?

Nathan Rowe’s ‘Let Justice Roll’ (by Salvation Army worship group transMission).

How do you think that working in Italy and Greece differs from working elsewhere?

It has a feel of working in a big family (due to the small group of officers and employees working together). The Salvation Army structure is similar (around the world), but it means we take up additional duties and do as best we can with limited time and resources.

What do you like most about Italy and Greece?

The rich history that is still visible today in each country.

What do you most miss about Australia?

Family and friends.

What aspects of another country’s culture do you wish were present in Italy and Greece?

I think intercultural exchanges are already taking place in this

Originally from Australia, Captain Andrew Lee works for The Salvation Army’s Italy and Greece Command. He previously served in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Captain Andrew participates in an emergency response in Nepal

&AWAY

What would be your typical day?

I begin by feeding the command headquarters turtles and goldfish, then water the vegetables/plants growing in the garden. After morning prayer, I have meetings, go through daily agenda items, learn some new Italian words, answer emails, prepare project reports, work on future items (such as internal audit preparation, budgets and preparing for the transition to a new finance system), and assist the accounts clerk with data entry.

CAPTAIN ANDREW LEE

globalised world through media, tourism, food and migration.

However, no culture is greater than the other, so rather than wish for the presence of a cultural value of another country I would reflect on my own cultural values and examine my own prejudices and tolerance. As Edward T. Hall says in his book The Silent Language, ‘One of the most effective ways to learn about oneself is by taking seriously the cultures of others. It forces you to pay attention to those details in life which differentiate them from you.’

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

Maybe ensure all officers get their full retirement grants and allowances; or shift from a charity mindset to a community development approach in ministry and in social work; or ensure territories are fully resourced and supported in implementing new strategies and compliance; or set up a cultural exchange programme, with officers in the first 10 years of service needing to do one (three-year) term in a country from another zone. Actually, I would never accept a nomination!

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

Legoland in Billund, Denmark – self explanatory!

What skills do you use most in your work?

Learning a new language, intercultural understanding, accounting, analytics, time management, data entry and decision-making.

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

Community development.

How would you like to be remembered?

‘Having learnt from his mistakes, he made a better contribution in the communities he lived in.’

Why should The Salvation Army be involved in disaster relief?

It shouldn’t. It should be involved in relief, rehabilitation and development together. From the start, it should be thinking to support people beyond the initial relief. Whether it means providing replacement livestock and seeds along with emergency food supplies, ensuring materials from temporary shelters can be utilised in future permanent structures or providing long-term psychosocial support along with medical assistance.

What’s so special about The Salvation Army?

Nothing ... everything! Nothing because most other Christian denominations are now providing services that The Salvation Army was uniquely the only church organisation involved in. Everything because what was essentially a vision of revival of the East End of London has become a testimony of many cultures hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. And I am sure The Salvation Army will continue to evolve and meet new needs that are not supported by other organisations.

&AWAY

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PHOTOS

Below: distributing fishing boats to a hurricane-affected community on Barbuda; right: providing practical and emotional help after a volcano erupted in Guatemala

‘We grieve with people we pray for them and we to alleviate their Right: sharing a meal with a refugee family in Germany

Above and left: peace-building initiatives around the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe included joining forces with the Zimbabwe Council of Churches to march through the streets of Harare and take part in a public concert 12 | ALL THE WORLD |

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PHOTOS

Left: offering essential assistance in Iligan City, the Philippines, after a typhoon Below left: gathering resources for people affected by an earthquake in Papua New Guinea Below right: giving out food and drink after a hurricane struck Dominica Bottom left: providing warm refreshments after a bomb scare led to the evacuation of homes and businesses in Dresden, Germany

affected by disasters, ask what we can do suffering’ Commissioner Birgitte Brekke-Clifton

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GERMANY

IMPLEMENTATION

A safe home for refugees

by Andreas W. Quiring Translated by Major Philippa Smale MASIH KHOSRAVI came from a Muslim family and worked in Iran as a teacher of the Koran, because his father decided that this was to be his job. Masih’s life changed completely when a friend told him about Jesus, and he was impressed by the love he encountered among Christians. Jesus touched Masih’s heart and, in March 2015, he became a Christian.

In many parts of the world, that would only be a good thing, but in Iran apostasy – ‘renouncing one’s faith’ – can be punishable by death. Four months later, Masih fled to Sweden via Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Germany and Denmark. There – on 18 October – he was baptised in a Free Church. He also got to know Mahboobeh, whom he married a few weeks later.

Soon after, the couple moved to Germany and settled in Guben, near the Polish border. Here they found accommodation in a Salvation Army premises, where they also attended German lessons.

When the wave of refugees reached Germany in the summer of 2015, The Salvation Army was not fully prepared, Above left: the refugee emergency shelter in Dresden; above right: Masih Khosravi; below: Mahboobeh

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but it was flexible enough to react very quickly.

In Leipzig, for example, refugees were housed in a Salvation Army building. In return, the young men who had arrived from Syria helped in the corps (church) furniture warehouse and clothing store.

In Dresden, the corps took over the responsibility for a city emergency shelter for some months. In Berlin, during the winter months of 2015-16, Salvationists and helpers distributed hot tea and coffee every day from 6am to refugees waiting in a long line in front of an initial reception facility at which they could begin the long registration process.

In Naumburg the Salvation Army took in a Syrian family. And in other corps, encounter cafes and special clothes distributions were set up and language lessons were offered.

‘If I go back to Iran, I’ll be killed,’ says Masih. Now he wants to work for God and already runs a Web blog and Facebook page to talk to people about his faith. He and his wife have found a home in Germany and a welcoming church family at Guben Corps where, at the end of June 2018, Masih and Mahboobeh were enrolled as soldiers.

Since that initial influx, the wave of refugees has subsided and some Salvation Army services are no longer needed. However, there is still a meeting cafe in Bonn and language lessons are continuing in a number of corps. Now it is important to give refugees who have come to faith a new church home in The Salvation Army.

Masih and Mahboobeh can testify that this is happening for them and for other refugees. Where once they feared for their lives, now they are safe – and loved.

Andreas W. Quiring is Director of Communication and Marketing for The Salvation Army’s Germany, Lithuania and Poland Territory

MONITORING

UGANDA

Seeking to provide the best possible response

by Damaris Frick

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t is early morning and I’m in a car with Major William Mugeni, the project officer from The Salvation Army’s Uganda Territory, and Major Mike McKee from the USA-based Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO). We are travelling from the Ugandan capital, Kampala, to Adjumani in the north of the country. We are on this journey to monitor and evaluate the South Sudanese refugee projects implemented

by The Salvation Army in Uganda.

We drive for six hours on pretty good roads up to Gulu – then several more hours on towards the South Sudanese border,where the rough roads are not paved, but consist of a never-ending succession of potholes and bumps.

According to a report by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), 44,400 people are forced to flee their homes every day because

of conflict and persecution. As of June 2018, an unprecedented 68.5 million people around the world are living away from their homes, having been forcefully displaced. Of these, 28.5 million people have crossed an international border and are therefore classified as either refugees or asylum seekers.

Many people don’t realise this, but 85 per cent of the world’s displaced people are currently hosted in developing countries. Uganda (together with Turkey and Pakistan) is one of the three major refugee-hosting countries.

For decades, Uganda has adhered to a policy of generously welcoming refugees from its neighbouring countries and beyond. As of 8 June this year, Uganda was hosting a total of 1,462,886 refugees and asylum seekers. Just over a million were from South Sudan and more than a quarter of a million from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Between 60 and 63 per cent of these refugees are children under 18 years of age.

Above: Damaris Frick and a local pastor talk to a South Sudanese refugee who received Salvation Army housing support in a settlement near Adjumani

The Salvation Army in Uganda, supported by The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services (IES) and partners, has been involved in refugee response activities since 2014.

To date, temporary houses have been built for 76 families, 26 boreholes drilled for refugee settlements and host communities, 170 latrines dug – some of them for people with mobility issues or for unaccompanied minors who are housed in separate locations – cooking and washing sets distributed to more than 6,200 families and at least 1,500 mattresses have been given out.

Sometimes, IES has had a small team of experienced aid workers deployed to assist the Uganda Territory with the implementation of refugee response activities. On several other occasions, IES – perhaps together with a supporting

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MONITORING

office – also assisted the territory with the monitoring and evaluation of these activities.

The trip I am taking with Majors William and Mike is one of these monitoring visits. The radio blares and we watch the Ugandan landscape out of the open windows as there is no airconditioning in the car. During the trip we discuss the plans for the monitoring visit, the places we want to go and the people we need to meet and speak to.

The monitoring of projects is an important part of any emergency operation. Things on the ground are often very fluid and sometimes even quite chaotic, new ‘actors’ – as they are known – show up and start activities, more people than anticipated might have arrived and are in need of assistance, government guidelines and regulations may have changed, new challenges may have come up – such as the outbreak of cholera or other diseases – or we could face a change of circumstances like weather-related issues.

Monitoring is an ongoing process of reviewing implementation activities to see whether the project is on track and is achieving the planned goals and objectives. It involves the frequent collection, reviewing and analysing of data, and the identification of (new) gaps.

It might lead to adjustments to the programme or the need to find solutions 16 | ALL THE WORLD |

to unexpected challenges or a changed situation. It may set in motion new partnerships or additional resources from International Headquarters or it could enable the development of follow-up projects in an effort to link relief to recovery and long-term development activities.

Monitoring visits also provide the opportunities to offer pastoral care to Salvation Army colleagues – or sometimes the IES team – on the ground who, as is the case in Adjumani, are far away from other locations where The Salvation Army has a presence.

Most of the monitoring is usually done by our local colleagues, often by the territorial project or emergency officer.

However, when it comes to bigger, more complex situations or projects such as some of those in Uganda, IES – as the technical support for emergency projects (or one of the supporting offices delegated

by IES) – might send an experienced person or team to assist with monitoring.

During our monitoring visit we talk to South Sudanese refugees and listen to their perspective on the situation and The Salvation Army’s activities. We attend meetings with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) – which is responsible for

all refugee-related activities in Uganda – as well as UNHCR, the Ugandan Red Cross and other stakeholders involved in the refugee response. We discuss the things that are going well and together try to find solutions to some of the challenges.

One of the issues that came up was the situation in a small local prison. The so-called short-term prison is currently accommodating 114 prisoners including some South Sudanese refugees. It lacks many items, such as sufficient pans, cups, plates and wash basins. The OPM brought this situation to our attention, wondering if a small amount of the non-food items we had included in our refugee response project could go towards the inmates of this prison.

A common approach of refugee response projects is to include both refugees and host communities in the planned activities in order to avoid tensions and other unintended negative

‘Monitoring is an ongoing process of reviewing implementation activities to see whether the project is on track’

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MONITORING

Opposite page: Lieutenant Cosmos (Adjumani Outpost) and Major William Mugeni (Project Officer) with recipients of toilets constructed by The Salvation Amy; left and above: a Salvation Army-funded borehole; below: Major Mike McKee (left) and Major Mugeni on the way to a meeting with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees)

consequences. This is why some of the boreholes we constructed went to host communities.

The Salvation Army strongly believes in humanitarian principles such as impartiality and non-discrimination, so therefore it makes total sense to also include prison inmates. As a result of our meeting we quickly adjusted our

programme accordingly and the next day the required items were delivered to the prison.

After constructing the first latrines in some of the refugee settlements we learned that, while they are much better than most others we had seen (one of the staff at the OPM said our latrines were considered the ‘gold standard’!), there are some ways in which they could be made even better in order to enhance people’s privacy – providing better security and the opportunity to wash – while also improving ventilation.

Another issue that had come up previously was the need for mattresses

for health centres. The Salvation Army had been made aware that patients waiting for treatment had to sleep on the floor. Again, changes and adjustments were made to the project, enabling the distribution of mattresses to the health centres.

While monitoring happens continuously, evaluation also has to be introduced for longer-running operations, typically after several months of the operation. This is sometimes undertaken by an outside actor.

The purpose is to learn lessons for future planning and decisionmaking and to improve the design or performance of projects and operations for similar situations. We in IES believe that communities and people affected by conflict and crisis should expect the delivery of improved assistance as we learn from experience and reflection.

My visit to Uganda is a bit of a mixture of monitoring and evaluation. We are monitoring a project that is currently implemented. During the visit we have the chance to see a few of the boreholes being dug and some of the cooking and washing sets being distributed. We are also finalising plans for a significant scale-up of the operation and for the implementation of the next project.

At the same time, we take the opportunity to evaluate some older projects. We hope that the findings will help us shape some of the plans for the future.

After a few days in Adjumani I am on the road back to Kampala for some final meetings with the territorial leadership.

My colleague, Major Rik Pears, will come back to Uganda in a few months to keep monitoring the operation, including a new project which is about to start.

Undoubtedly there will be some new challenges and adjustments to be made by then.

As always, The Salvation Army will remain committed to do its best to deal with these challenges and to continuously learn and improve our work in order to provide the best possible assistance to some of the many, many people displaced due to conflict and crisis.

Damaris Frick is Deputy Coordinator of The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services OC TOBE R– DE C E M BE R 2018 | ALL THE WORLD |

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TRAINING

CAPACITY BUILDING

Learning to become better

by Major Alison Thompson

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isasters occur around the world on a regular basis, often with little warning.

Because of this, strengthening local capacity to respond quickly, efficiently and effectively is vital.

This becomes particularly important in places which are especially vulnerable to natural hazards or other challenges and where Salvation Army personnel are required to implement humanitarian responses in their communities.

The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services (IES) provides support and assistance to countries affected by disaster and conflicts. One element of that support, in addition to practical, material and financial resourcing, is the opportunity to strengthen capacity of Salvation Army personnel to respond in their communities.

These people will often be in an affected community as part of The Salvation Army’s ongoing presence. They can be there before, during and then after an event, providing care and support as

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people move towards recovery from a disaster situation.

IES has developed a training workshop which is designed to equip people for service in all kinds of disaster situations.

The course is known as PREPARE – Prepare to Respond to Emergencies Planning And Readiness Education.

Topics covered include: The Salvation Army’s Role in Humanitarian Relief Work; Hazards and Disasters; The Sphere Project – Humanitarian Charter, Code of Conduct, Minimum and Core Humanitarian Standards for Emergency Response; Needs Assessment; Coordination with Local Authorities and other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs); Protection of Beneficiaries; Disaster Risk Reduction; Accountability and Transparency.

As Salvation Army territories and commands plan their disaster management strategies and assess their capacity to respond effectively, IES is available to deliver the workshop, tailored to the needs of that area. During the past couple of years workshops have been delivered in various countries, including Sri Lanka, Haiti, India and Japan – all places that are challenged

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by regular occurrences of disaster events.

Delegates, who may be called upon to respond and manage a disaster response in their community, are selected from across a territory. They will be brought together in a learning environment to share experiences with others, participating in group work and teaching sessions while gaining new insights into humanitarian response standards and conduct. Where possible, a practical field trip exercise within a community may be added to the curriculum.

Feedback received from such training opportunities shows that this investment in our greatest resource is most worthwhile. People who are dedicated to serving others value the knowledge gained. Recent training sessions have led to feedback comments that include:

• • • • • •

Live with disaster, depend on one another, protect one another; Mapping is very important; How to care for people through the love of God; Preparation is very important; Earlier investment is better; Get ready for the disaster – be prepared;

CAPACITY BUILDING

Opposite page: a group at a PREPARE training session in Sri Lanka, working with the SPHERE handbook; left: a group considers child protection issues at a PREPARE training session in Japan

• •

One day this knowledge will save lives; Identify the highest priority and meet that need.

Disaster risk reduction The Salvation Army has a long history of international disaster response and will continue its work in that area. However, disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been a particular focus in recent years as the vulnerability of communities is more widely addressed.

There is an emphasis on ways in which The Salvation Army can be at work in a community before a disaster strikes – both to reduce the risk of a disaster occurring and to increase resilience in case one does, ultimately minimising damage and loss for individuals and communities as a whole.

If a population can be equipped to enable it to reduce its vulnerability to

disaster, it will become more resilient in the face of disaster and be able to recover more quickly.

A DRR workshop was held in Hong Kong with delegates from around the world, facilitated by IES and international development personnel from International Headquarters (IHQ), with participation from representiatives from various territorial headquarters and people working in the field. A DRR toolkit, criteria for resilience and a short film featuring resilient communities were practical outputs resulting from the workshop which are now available for all territories to use.

Peace-building workshops for preparedness activities prior to elections have also been a recent feature of the training schedule. In Kenya and Zimbabwe – countries which have both experienced outbreaks of violence during election campaigns – people came together to

‘There is an emphasis on ways in which The Salvation Army can be at work in a community before a disaster strikes’

share experiences and plan how to be prepared to respond in their communities.

Significant resources were produced, including songs featuring local children and young people. These were publicised and shared through local TV and radio stations, as well as through Salvation Army centres and social media sites. A toolkit was also produced to assist corps (churches) and centres with relationshipand peace-building activities in the lead-up to polling day.

PREPARE training for international responders While much of the training delivered by IES is with territories that we expect to need to respond to their own emergency situations, occasional workshops are held for people who are identified by leadership as being suitable for potential international deployment. This enables IES to have access to a group of people who have been trained in appropriate subjects, including the Humanitarian Charter and International Minimum Standards for Humanitarian Response, who can respond when necessary to provide additional personnel to disasteraffected territories.

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CAPACITY BUILDING

Left: PREPARE training in India Eastern Territory; below left: Major Alison Thompson (seated) watches a group working on coordination and networking with other agencies at a PREPARE training session in Chile

Recent training has taken place in the UK and USA, and IES is grateful to these places and territories around the world which will release their people to be deployed if needed.

The training gives a truly international perspective through case studies and examples of previous emergency responses which are used to illustrate the teaching and help delegates to understand the differences between domestic relief work and the international humanitarian arena.

The value of the training was reflected in the comments received, including:

• • • • •

The interactive activities were my favourite; Hearing deployment stories and experiences helped a lot; It was obvious the team knew what they were talking about; It was amazing, the whole thing was so informative; Such a worthwhile learning and networking experience.

Team leaders’ training When international personnel are deployed to assist a territory in its emergency response – usually because of the scale and complexity of the disaster – 20 | ALL THE WORLD |

the team will be managed by a leader who will ensure the effective implementation of the response and take responsibility for the work and personnel involved.

A team leaders’ training is usually held every other year to update key personnel who may be required to head a deployed team. This includes the study of specially related topics for enhancing knowledge and skills.

The latest team leaders’ workshop, held in Nepal, had a focus on the management of safety and security for deployment situations. Sessions during the workshop were delivered by a specialist agency which tailored the content to the needs of IES, with an understanding of how it works with teams in the field.

Another element of the workshop was a monitoring and evaluation field trip. Since the earthquakes of April and May 2015, multiple projects for a relief and recovery programme have been implemented. These include building temporary shelter and school facilities for individuals and communities, and water and sanitation projects such as building latrines for families.

Delegates were able to visit various locations, talking to individuals and community groups about their experiences.

They considered how the relief and recovery programmes had impacted the lives of beneficiaries and also spoke about what they felt worked well and what could have been done better.

It was a privilege to visit communities who had suffered such devastation and were gradually rebuilding homes, lives and livelihoods. Through the sharing of the people, delegates could learn how The Salvation Army might better serve disasteraffected communities in the future.

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Several of the delegates had been deployed to Nepal at the time of the disaster, so to return and to see how the people were moving forward was especially poignant but also satisfying to see how their efforts had made a positive difference.

Comments from delegates highlighted the relevance of this aspect of capacity building for IES deployed personnel. They appreciated the valuable opportunities to participate as a group and share knowledge and experience. Some spoke about the benefits of learning from the expertise of deployment veterans, while one described the training programme as ‘a practical workshop which reinforces learning’.

IES personnel are privileged to visit countries around the world, sharing expertise but also learning from people who serve sacrificially in sometimes very challenging circumstances.

The small IES team at IHQ is grateful to everyone who has supported with funding and to those who have participated so readily in training workshops.

The team’s prayer is that the results of all the efforts involved will be an effective and efficient response in times of disaster, bringing heightened awareness of the benefits of being well prepared and that offering dignity, hope, strength and encouragement to people in crisis is always to be strived for as The Salvation Army continues to serve ‘with heart to God and hand to man’.

Major Alison Thompson is Coordinator of The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services

INSPIRATION

WHY do we do what we do?

by Commissioner Birgitte Brekke-Clifton

T

HE recently published History of The Salvation Army Volume Nine, written by General Shaw Clifton (Retired), lists some of the main trends in The Salvation Army over the last two decades (1995-2015) and identifies one of them to be ‘a marked increase in the capacity of IHQ [International Headquarters] and of even the smaller territories and commands to respond swiftly to natural disasters. Volume Nine portrays examples of this with some regularity because, for countless persons, the face of the Army they encounter is that of the rescuer or relief person.’

Damaris Frick (Deputy Coordinator, International Emergency Services) with a woman affected by Cyclone Enawo in Mozambique

The history book records more than 80 projects around the world, for example the Army’s response to the 9/11 terror attacks in the USA, large earthquakes in Pakistan and Haiti, the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. But the 81 projects mentioned are just selected examples – the response is greater still.

The reason territories and commands around the world have increased their capacity to respond is in part due to the tireless efforts by the International Emergency Services (IES) team at IHQ, currently led by Major Alison Thompson and Damaris Frick. Together with their friends in other project offices, they conduct seminars in several locations every year to prepare and enable the ’locals’ to make appropriate responses when/if a disaster happens.

At the time of writing, there are several ongoing relief operations supported by IES around the world – in India, Guatemala, the Caribbean, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Bangladesh and Japan.

In Japan, successive heavy rainfall resulted in devastating floods and mudflow. At one point, eight million people may have had to evacuate from their residential areas. It is the deadliest freshwater-related disaster in the country since 1982, with 238 people confirmed dead. The Salvation Army is working to improve the conditions of 300 families in Kure City, Hiroshima. It wants to purchase five sets of high-pressure water jets and two sets of power shovel machines to

‘For countless persons, the face of the Army they encounter is that of the rescuer or relief person’

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INSPIRATION

excavate and remove earth, mud, fallen timber and debris.

In December 2017 an estimated 655,000-700,000 Rohingya people fled to Bangladesh to avoid ethnic and religious persecution in Myanmar. The Salvation Army is purchasing solar LED light panels to be handed over to 2,800 families in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, giving the families lighting and charging facilities and improving their security.

Which leads to the obvious question – why do we do what we do? Why do we, as a Christian movement, invest in high-power water jets, power shovel machines, solar panels and other forms of emergency relief?

As a Christian movement we base our actions on God’s Word, as found in the Bible.

I’ll begin with Matthew 22:35-39 (New International Version): ‘An expert in the law tested him [Jesus] with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”’

The working out of this commandment is illustrated very practically in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. The priest and the Levite passed by a wounded man, but the Samaritan bandaged his wounds, took him to a safe place and paid for his care.

‘Go and do likewise’ says Jesus (v 37).

Matthew chapter 25 shows us the obligation we have to those who are hungry, thirsty, sick, unclothed and in prison. Jesus tells those for whom there is an eternal reward: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,

Above left: Lieut-Colonel Comfort Adepoju from Nigeria teaches on humanitarian guidelines using examples from the Bible and from the SPHERE book of guidance for relief workers; Above: Captain Flores in Mexico spends time with an eldeerly woman who was affected by an earthquake

I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me ... Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ (vv 35-37, 40).

The Letter of James 2:14-17 reads: ‘What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?

Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.’

The Salvation Army’s mission statement takes the above mentioned Bible references to heart. ‘The Salvation Army, an international movement,’ it says, ‘is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination.’

‘We live out our theology in a practical, hands-on response to the needs around us’ 22 | ALL THE WORLD |

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‘Where there is a need there is The Salvation Army,’ we say. We grieve with people affected by disasters, we pray for them and we ask what we can do to alleviate their suffering.

We live out the commands of Jesus, and we follow his example when doing emergency relief work. In the same way we live out our calling as disciples of Christ when we care for the sick in our hospitals and clinics, provide shelter for the homeless, feed the poor, provide education, water and sanitation. We live out our theology in a practical, hands-on response to the needs around us.

Returning to the Bible, we read: ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world’ (James 1:27).

We follow the example of the early disciples and give generously to appeals for donations. The first example in the New Testament of emergency relief is found in Acts 11:28-30 where the disciples, when they heard that severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world, responded as follows: ‘The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul’ (vv 29-30).

My husband, Colonel Bo Brekke,

INSPIRATION

Above: Commissioner Birgitte Brekke-Clifton talks about peace-building at a conference in Zimbabwe; below: Major Chris Mulryne offers support in a flood-affected community in Greece

who died in Pakistan in 2007, wrote the following in his book Sally Ann – from Poverty to Hope: ‘The gospel story is the story of Incarnation. Someone put it this way: “God so loved the world that he took a closer look through the eyes of a poor carpenter’s son.” Look at where Incarnation took our Lord. His life began in a crowded stable, progressed through refugee camps and led a life in tough circumstances. He worked for the downtrodden; defended women with no rights; empowered the outcast; cared for the sick; lived in poverty; and died in pain.

‘The gospel story is also the story of the Resurrection. Christ lives and he lives through his Church. Wherever his followers live, there should be evident a creative life that manifests the deeds of Christ. Jesus’ life of love, his touch of health and healing, his work of deliverance and development must work through us to bring hope where there is no hope, to heal where there is disease, to bring justice where there is unrighteousness, to bring liberty where people are bound and to give food where people hunger.’

For seven years I lived in Bangladesh with Bo and our two sons, Benjamin and Bo Christoffer. The permanent ministry of The Salvation Army that we oversaw was itself started through disaster responses – serving after a cyclone in 1970 and providing assistance to returning refugees the following year.

We soon learned that floods are an annual occurrence in Bangladesh. The Rivers Jamuna, Meghna and Ganges carry more water than all the rivers in Europe combined!

We discovered that flooding in Bangladesh is rarely associated with rushing water and wild currents. Rather, the water rises slowly but surely until the rivers burst their banks.

One summer the flooding was worse than ever before. Seventy per cent of the land was under water which did not subside for three months, with the area of Rajapur the worst affected.

During the peak of the flood The Salvation Army provided emergency relief, food rations and water, and the offer of medical help. The Mission

Aviation Fellowship (MAF) kindly let us use its plane free of charge.

In a river boat we visited the people of Rajapur. On one small embankment we saw a husband and wife and their young daughter who had built a hut of some plastic sheeting. We were told by their corps officer that they were Salvation Army soldiers.

They had lost everything to the floodwater – their home, the fish in their pond, their rice and vegetables. They were left with two ducks and a loan to the bank which they would never be able to pay.

‘How are you feeling now’ we asked?

The reply was: ‘We thank God for his blessing. He has given us food through The Salvation Army.’

Years later devastating floods returned to the area, but by then the Salvation Army hall had been built on land that had been filled in and remained above the water. The hall became a relief centre, where food and medicines were stored and distributed to the area.

The Salvation Army compound, rising out of the floodwater became an island of hope – a visible sign of Christian love in action, and of the presence of God everywhere. It was raised up for all to see – Christ sharing through his disciples the hardship of people’s lives.

Commissioner Birgitte Brekke-Clifton is International Secretary for Programme Resources at The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters

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