Lutherans Assist with Drought-Aid in Papua New Guinea

DROUGHT IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

A drought of unprecedented severity has taken hold in Papua New
Guinea, a nation in a tropical region close to the equator, according
the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for international communication
in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Division for Global
Mission. The ELCA has $10,000 directly to the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Papua New Guinea.  Annual rainfall is usually more than
adequate in most parts of the country to provide water for village
subsistence gardens and for other forms of agriculture and economic
activity, Ishida said.  The drought has caused overnight temperatures
to fall dramatically and has resulted in devastating frosts in the
western and southern highlands of the country, he explained.  "The
frosts have destroyed food gardens and people are starving," he said.
Ishida reports 27 deaths (mostly children) and total loss of staple
food crops.  Dried up springs, empty water tanks and very
low water levels in major rivers mean that safe drinking water is a
problem and there is a fear of the spread of disease, Ishida said.
Water shortages have resulted in health departments scaling down their
operations and some schools being closed.  Brush fires have added to
the problems by destroying food gardens and homes.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html