Flood survivors in the Nigeria Episcopal Area are getting much needed food and other support through a $150,000 grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Your gifts on UMCOR Sunday helps support the foundation for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to share God’s love with communities everywhere.
Last year, severe flooding between June and November killed more than 600 people and displaced some 1.4 million in the region.
Nigeria Episcopal Area Bishop John Wesley Yohanna expressed appreciation as the resources were distributed in Jalingo.
Global Ministries is the parent agency of UMCOR. When Yohanna observed the plight of those who lost almost everything in the disaster, he contacted the relief agency.
“Today,” the bishop said, “all of us are witnesses of God’s love.”
He said he would charge his conference administrative assistants to work with UMCOR to ensure that the items are distributed as intended.
“This should reach the designated people without any discrimination of religion. Suffering does not recognize people’s religion; all are affected,” he said.
Dorcas Dugule, who leads the church’s disaster relief efforts locally, emphasized that the distribution should be done as planned by the committee, from level to level until it reaches all who need it. Some 1,500 Nigerian households are expected to benefit from the aid.
“We received $150,000 to purchase relief materials such as grains, rice, bean, Maggi (soup), palm oil and … containers, buckets and basins that are to be shared alongside the foodstuffs and kitchen utensils,” Dugule said.
“These items,” she continued, “are not going to be shared randomly. We will monitor the distribution until it reaches the people concerned. We are sending relief materials to affected places within Taraba, Gombe and Adamawa states.”
After the commissioning, the bishop distributed some of the items.
Mallam Abdullahi Usman, a Muslim cleric, was a beneficiary.
“Since we were displaced by the flood,” he said, “this is the biggest help I have ever received. It came in a time that our country is passing through hardship due to removal of a fuel subsidy that tripled our suffering because of the price hike in our markets.
“This gift is a big relief for my entire family. I sincerely thank the church for not even minding our faith but is sharing with us this gift. I pray Allah to bless the UMC of Nigeria.”
Justina Ezekiel was another recipient. “I was just thinking of what to cook for the children,” she recalled, “because we had exhausted the last grain. UMC, I don’t know where to start. It is as if God showed you our predicaments because these items are truly going to bring relief to us.”
excerpt from a story by Ezekiel Ibrahim, communicator for the Nigeria episcopal office.
One of six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church, UMCOR Sunday calls United Methodists to share the goodness of life with those who hurt. Your gifts to UMCOR Sunday lay the foundation for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to share God’s love with communities everywhere. The special offering underwrites UMCOR’s “costs of doing business.” This helps UMCOR to keep the promise that 100 percent of any gift to a specific UMCOR project will go toward that project, not administrative costs.
When you give generously on UMCOR Sunday, you make a difference in the lives of people who hurt. Give now.
