Baptist Global Response’s (BGR) Rapid Assistance Team is nearly done identifying communities that need assistance and meeting immediate survival needs after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines. It’s time to shift gears toward a longer-term response.
A Disaster Assessment and Response Team (DART) will take the field, debriefing the first team Nov. 24, then moving to build on the foundation laid by the responses conducted so far. The DART team will assess needs in (1) water, sanitation, and hygiene; (2) food security and nutrition; (3) shelter and non-food items and (4) health services.
“This new team’s objective is to go into the areas where BGR has been working and do assessments on these issues, looking to a three- to six-month future period,” said Pat Melancon, BGR’s managing director of disaster response. “What are the needs going to be that we can meet in that timeframe?”
Ben and Pam Wolf, BGR’s area directors for the Asia Rim, will lead the DART team, which will include Bruce Poss of the North American Mission Board, Bill Stacey of the Georgia Baptist Convention, and Fred Loper of the Global Medical Alliance, as well as national and local partners.
Please pray for the DART team as they take up their assignment:
Ask the Lord to protect them as they travel.
Intercede for them to be discerning about God’s will in making plans.
Pray for excellent working relationships with partners and local leaders.
Ask God to prepare the hearts of the people the team will assist so that they may understand the good news of His great love for them.
To learn more about how to help with disaster response, visit BGR’s Typhoon Haiyan project page at gobgr.org/projects/project_detail/typhoon-haiyan/.
(BGR)
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