theologians accept new tasks in Chile women The LWF following text appeared on today's World Day of Prayer, which is liturgical in Chile.
"It's Friday night Maria Leyton looks forward to meeting the next day following the massive earthquake. February 27, 2010 initiated the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile (IELCH) a regular exchange between the stakeholders in the area at the port of Concepción. The houses here are small and the people who live here are poor. One of earthquake triggered tsunami devastated the area. The ACT alliance, whose members also IELCH and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) count has been the most severely affected, a new house. The LWF Department for World Service (DWS) has for the coordination of cooperation with the ACT alliance an employee sent to Chile, who helped the church in building up an emergency response program and working with the ACT alliance and with other local churches has supported. "Divide the table" Under the theme every Saturday morning at the instigation of the Lutheran Church about 80 families from the severely damaged area, to talk about their worries and problems and to think about mutual aid. "Most women come with their children," says Maria Isabel Moreno Castillo. The worker of the Lutheran Church stresses that much has changed with it the role of women in male-dominated society. And above all, solidarity would be strengthened in the community. The development of a community spirit in the town of Moreno works for only about women. Maria Leyton is one of the women who participate regularly in these meetings. The 54 year old single mother of three children said that they would not without the help of the Lutheran Church and the ACT alliance after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami was right. One year after the disaster, she is overwhelmed and agitated when she tells how Lutheran volunteers helped first.
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handcrafts of Chile |
"We are feet deep in mud and filth waded that have been washed away by the tidal wave in our neighborhood," she says . "Our house was totally destroyed," says ihre18 year-old daughter Tiare Leyton Salazar. "We could save on a nearby hill," she adds. And she also tells of the fish waste from the nearby fish factory that gave off a terrible stench. Leyton mother is happy that she has received as one of the hardest-hit one of the makeshift houses, which provided the ACT Alliance is available. The houses are made of solid wood construction and can be converted into a permanent home. One year after the earthquake still live in the neighborhood of 1,000 people in shelters. And many others still live in dilapidated houses, which were supposed to be torn down long ago. There is no running water or electricity. The conditions in the district of Santa Clara Vasquez Castillo, social workers of the Lutheran Church considers it scandalous. "The earthquake has revealed how weak the social security in Chile, "he says. He laments the hidden consequences of the earthquake in the social field. This "silent earthquake" is for him a long term problem. The 25-year old social worker is hoping that the earthquake people the problems of the country has made conscious. He refers in this context to the protests from environmentalists, who have hitherto received little attention. But the earthquake, the criticism of the fish and paper mills that pollute the environment with pollutants such as lead and cadmium, which are in turn responsible for cancer and birth defects has confirmed. From the bottom of the basin are the pollutants in the tidal wave on the surface come. For Castillo, the unrestrained exploitation of nature, the dark side of economic success in Chile.
also IELCH pastor Oscar Sanhueza complained that the government had tried after the earthquake, to draw to the world public the image of a prosperous and economically successful country. He sees the high unemployment rate in the communities served by him with concern. The 55-year-old, during the dictatorship in Chile came to his convictions to prison and tortured moves, after a year, however, a positive assessment of projects supported by the ACT alliance projects to help some 100 families, the houses and psycho-social care received. The problem of unemployment would like to specifically address the priest. may He relies particularly on the women found that small companies. For this, the Lutheran Church would like to offer workshops in order to train the women for example, as seamstresses. The need for this machine will make them Sanhueza pastor in the project also provided. For the small Lutheran congregations, it is difficult to raise the starting capital of € 5,000 alone. Meanwhile, the LWF provides through its Department for Mission and Development (DMD), to continue helping rebuild the communities in El IELCH Sembrador, La Trinidad, El Buen Samaritano, the of the earthquake and tsunami were also badly hit.
The LWF / DMD Area Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Rev. Patricia Cuyatti stresses the importance of supporting the IELCH. "It was developed by the close and regular communication with the church leaders who were motivated in stressful emergency situations. The other members of the community were invited and asked to help, to pray, to write our sisters and brothers in Chile to help them, "said Cuyatti."