ESPAÑOL

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Background

World Vision is a huge organisation that works all over the world in a variety of roles. It's work often begins with disaster relief and is followed by long term development and advocacy. When a crisis occurs, World Vision begins assessing the damage and determines how to mobilize to help meet people's needs. Such relief efforts often include providing medecines/medical teams, damage assesment, food and emergency supplies, as well as shelter. Once the initial relief phase ends, World Vision commits to helping rebuild communities and lives. Long-term community development can include anything from well drilling and school construction to microenterprise loans and agricultural training - all chosen by community residents to make their lives better. All of World Vision's work is built solidly on a foundation of Christ's love. This faith provides the strength and committment to see the work through to its completion.

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World Vision knew about GAIA's work in the shelters and in October 2000 approved the provision of funds to continue our work therein. We are extremely grateful for this support which has meant that we have been able to see through all of our projects in the shelters - the completion of which gave the residents some means to help them to survive at that time, and also provided them with the skills and knowledge to develop as a community - beyond where they were before the disaster.

With an opening in Vargas, World Vision were also able to direct some of their funding into relief work. This took place in the form of emergency food, clothing, medicines etc. Disease and infection is also a huge threat after a disaster such as a flood, so together with the Peace Corps we helped World Vision deliver personal hygiene packages to the residents in the shelters as well as providing sanitation facilities, all of which have limited the possibility of any epidemic or health threat.

GAIA has largely finished it's work within the shelters now, as most residents have been relocated to houses in other areas or have made a permanent residence from the shelters in which they were living. However, due to further financing from World Vision, we are going to maintain contact with the refugees who have decided to stay in the shelters to see that the long term benefits of our work are realised. World Vision has suitably impressed with our work and results that it has also agreed to pledge more funds to help us to continue our work on our project "Our Daily Plant" in the schools that we were working in prior to the floods, and their respective communities. We are so very grateful to World Vision for all their generosity and support. Thank you.

To find out more about the work of World Vision, see

www.worldvision.org

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Interaction with GAIA

When the floods struck Venezuela in December 1999, many people in the affected state of Vargas were made homeless. Temporary shelters were erected and established in the local area to house many of the refugees, however a longer term development scheme to build new houses for these people was also put into operation in the nearby state of Lara. Initially, World Vision went to help with the building of houses in Lara, and also in the giving of new plant seeds to residents in the neighbouring state of Miranda who had lost their crops in the floods. To provide more direct relief work to the people in Vargas, World Vision needed a contact in the state of Vargas - an NGO inlet to the people of the state. GAIA soon came to their attention by the recommendation of the US Peace Corps.