Grants are given for Pakistan, the Congo, Thailand.

Grants from the Church of the Brethren's Emergency Disaster Fund have been given following disasters in Pakistan, the Congo, and Thailand.

A grant of $32,000 responds to a Church World Service (CWS) appeal following a deadly earthquake in Pakistan. The funds will help provide water and sanitation, food, tents, blankets, stoves, and coal, as well as psycho-social support.

A grant of $20,000 responds to a CWS appeal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo where years of fighting have left millions dead and more than one million people displaced in the last two years. The grant will help supply water and sanitation, food security, nutritional supplements, clothing, basic supplies, and psycho-social support.

A grant of $2,500 responds to a CWS appeal in light of territorial disputes between Thailand and Cambodia, which have displaced hundreds of families. The money will help support a temporary school with meals, as well as fresh water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for families.

In other news from Church of the Brethren disaster response efforts, Children's Disaster Service (CDS) has cared for children in Indiana following winter storms across the Midwest. CDS volunteers worked at a shelter at the Fort Wayne Memorial Coliseum the weekend of Dec. 20-21, helping care for families and children whose homes lacked heat due to a power outage caused by an ice storm. "Despite the busy season, volunteers are willing to help out," reported Judy Bezon, associate director for CDS. "One volunteer said, 'When things happen, they happen.'"

Source: 12/31/2008 Newsline