Here is an update on ERD activities. 
Gail Baravetto and Mary Kelsey, Diocesan Fund Coordinators

EPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT

March 19, 2004
NETWORK NEWS

EMERGENCY GRANTS

ERD Gives Additional Assistance to Earthquake Victims in Iran
Nearly three months after a deadly earthquake rocked Bam, Iran, and left 
as many as 45,000 people dead, the city is slowly being restored. A quake 
measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale hit the ancient city on December 26. 
Almost 70 percent of homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses were 
destroyed. 

Immediately after the earthquake, ERD gave Iranians critical supplies such 
as tents, blankets, water, and medicine. Through the generosity of donors, 
ERD is able to extend its initial emergency response into a critical 
rehabilitation initiative.
Episcopal Relief and Development is providing support for long-term 
recovery efforts in Bam and helping survivors rebuild their lives. In 
partnership with Church World Service, ERD will build temporary shelter 
for displaced families and reconstruct schools and health clinics. The 
program will renew damaged agriculture and repair the city's irrigation 
system. Affected families will receive psychological and trauma 
counseling. 

ERD is reestablishing health centers in Bam's rural communities to provide 
services to approximately 5,400 affected people in collaboration with 
Mercy Corps. The centers will offer health education, vaccines, maternal 
and child healthcare, and basic disease control. Local health promoters 
will be hired to work with communities, families, and social service 
providers, which include caring for the chronically ill. 
"The earthquake in Bam is one of the worst natural disasters in modern 
times. Episcopal Relief and Developing is helping meet immediate needs and 
contribute toward rehabilitation, so children and families can resume a 
more normal life," said Mark Spina, ERD Regional Director, Asia and 
Emergency Response.

Episcopal Relief and Development Aids Cyclone Victims in Madagascar
Episcopal Relief and Development is assisting people in Madagascar after 
Cyclone Gafilo struck in early March. The cyclone ripped across the 
northern part of the island killing 113 people and leaving 238,000 others 
homeless. Nearly 162 people are listed as missing, including 96 
passengers on a ferry traveling from the nearby Comoros Islands which sank 
during the storm. The cyclone carried winds of up to 200 km/h and 
destroyed buildings, uprooted trees, and flooded towns.
"Cyclone Gafilo has indeed caused severe [damage] to all the 
infrastructures of my diocese," said the Rt. Rev. Roger F. H. Chung Po 
Chuen, Bishop of Antsiranana, Madagascar. "The international news has 
given a glimpse of the damage inflicted on the country during this time of 
Lent," said Bishop Chuen. 

On behalf of the Episcopal Church, Episcopal Relief and Development has 
advanced emergency funds to the Diocese of Antsiranana to provide 
emergency food, clothing, and building materials for temporary shelters in 
Madagascar. People left homeless by the storm will receive bread, rice, 
corn, canned meats, vegetables, and other essential supplies.

EPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTS VICTIMS OF TERRORIST ATTACKS IN MADRID

Episcopal Relief and Development is helping families in Madrid, Spain, 
following a deadly bombing on the city's train system. On March 11, 
multiple explosions at three train stations occurred during rush hour. The 
attacks have killed at least 202 people, seriously injured 20 others, and 
wounded 1,400 people. 

"March 11, 2004 will remain for posterity as one of the most terrible 
dates in Spanish history," wrote the Rt. Rev. Carlos López Lozano, Bishop 
of the Spanish Reform Episcopal Church (Iglesia Española Reformada 
Episcopal). "It was on this day that nearly two thousand families were 
marked, either by the loss of a loved one or by a family member being 
injured," he said. 

On behalf of the Episcopal Church, Episcopal Relief and Development has 
advanced emergency funds to the Spanish Reform Episcopal Church (Iglesia 
Española Reformada Episcopal) in Madrid to help victims and survivors of 
the tragedy. The funds will provide critical assistance, such as food, 
clothing, and shelter, to immigrants who have little access to support. 
"The [immigrant families] are the most fragile people and the most 
defenseless," said Bishop López. "About 30 percent of them were illegal 
immigrants from Romania, Latin America, and Africa. We want to support 
them right away."

To make a contribution and help people affected by the tragedy in Madrid 
and respond immediately after disasters around the world, donate to the 
Disaster Relief Fund online at www.er-d.org or call (800) 334-7626, ext. 
5129. Gifts can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development, c/o 
Disaster Relief Fund, PO Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101.

Episcopal Relief and Development is an effective, reliable, and vital 
ministry of the Episcopal Church in communities around the world. 
Episcopal Relief and Development provides emergency assistance in times of 
disaster, rebuilds devastated communities after the immediate crisis is 
over, and offers long-term solutions to help people sustain safer, 
healthier, and more productive lives.