ESPAŅOL |
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 G AIA'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.
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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.

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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. |