BANGKOK /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — World Vision, one of the world’s leading emergency response agencies, says the recent series of disasters throughout Asia should be a wake-up call to the global community to fund efforts that reduce risk and save lives. The aid agency, an expert in disaster risk reduction (DRR), works with [...]]]> BANGKOK /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — World Vision, one of the world’s leading emergency response agencies, says the recent series of disasters throughout Asia should be a wake-up call to the global community to fund efforts that reduce risk and save lives. The aid agency, an expert in disaster risk reduction (DRR), works with communities all over the world to help reduce their vulnerabilities to  disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, and says that DRR funding must be a  priority for global governments and donors.

“Disasters are becoming increasingly costly in terms of lives and destruction,” said  Melisa Bodenhamer, World Vision’s expert in DRR. “There must be a paradigm shift in  the way that organizations think about development work, but the goal is to be systematic about building up the resiliency of communities before a disaster hits.  DRR activities can help reduce the toll on human lives and government budgets. In fact, research has shown that every $1 spent on disaster risk reduction activities saves nearly $7 in emergency response funds.”

For DRR to have a significant impact on lives and livelihoods, action needs to be taken at a number of levels. Ongoing success in DRR will involve a mix of structural elements, including more and better designed infrastructure and housing, and non-structural elements such as education and early warning systems.

World Vision advocates for a minimum of 10 percent of development funding to be set aside for risk reduction activities. Natural disasters have always occurred, and the poor suffer most from them. But DRR activities can — and do — help communities identify and reduce the vulnerabilities families faced by natural disasters. The risk of disaster impact can be reduced by helping communities develop early warning systems, establish risk mapping techniques and hold trainings to teach communities how to reduce their vulnerabilities and protect themselves in the event of a disaster.

As a second massive storm bears down on the Philippines, a proposed national law on DRR in the Philippines is stalled at the committee level at the Lower House. The DRR Bill would put a priority on disaster risk reduction and management, and it also seeks to institutionalize the disaster risk reduction plans in the federal budget.

“We have been pushing for the passage of this bill for over a decade now,” said Minnie Portales, World Vision’s advocacy and communications director in the Philippines. “We cannot afford to have another Typhoon Ketsana destroy our property or cause so much suffering to our children and families.”

World Vision is the lead agency of the Disaster Risk Reduction Network (DRRNet) in the Philippines. DRRNet is a network of disaster risk reduction advocates and practitioners throughout the country. According to DRRNet, the Philippines’ vulnerability to disasters has increased immensely throughout the years, resulting in the loss of lives, livelihood, and property.

This call to action comes as a second massive storm bears down on the island nation. Ensuring sustained political commitment to DRR is critical, not only to reduce losses in a more disaster prone world, but also to prevent natural disasters unwinding progress already made in reducing poverty and suffering.

World Vision has been working with the world’s poorest people for nearly 60 years to ease the impact of disasters when they occur and implement strategies to reduce the effect of future disaster events. World Vision uses its past experience to help the most vulnerable, particularly children, recover from natural disasters and increase their resilience to future climate induced setbacks.  The agency works in 100 countries, and it currently has DRR programs in Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the Philippines, among other nations.

World Vision will release a full report on its DRR call-to-action for the global community in Bangkok on 6 October 2009 at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Raheem left his wife and two children in Pakistan almost three years ago to make a better life.  He found work in the United Arab Emirates, a small, oil-rich nation of federated Arab states located in the Middle East. Upon arriving at the labor camps, he met men and women [...]]]>

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Raheem left his wife and two children in Pakistan almost three years ago to make a better life.  He found work in the United Arab Emirates, a small, oil-rich nation of federated Arab states located in the Middle East. Upon arriving at the labor camps, he met men and women from India, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Like other workers, Raheem sends nearly all of his paycheck home. This worldwide economic climate has the workers on edge. Everyday many are fired and told to leave. Forced onto the streets, they make temporary homes in the park, scrounging to gather enough for a trip home.

Raheem becomes a statistic, losing his job. He has nowhere to lay his head. In the park, he joins a group gathered around a small black box. He begins listening to dramatized stories about another wanderer who teaches about God, love and faith.  Raheem’s heart warms as he realizes that this Jesus knows where he’s been.

“In the middle of the desert, a harvest is being reaped,” said Malcolm Montgomery, a Faith Comes By Hearing representative.

Through partnerships with the Bible Society in the Gulf and local pastors, Faith Comes By Hearing is discipling immigrant workers with God’s Word in audio.

“Local pastors use Audio Bibles in their outreach and discipleship efforts among the immigrant laborers,” Montgomery said. “Less than 20 percent of the 4.8 million people there are citizens. The rest are workers.”

There are workers from roughly 200 different countries in the U.A.E.

“Jesus said ‘go into all the world and make disciples,’ but He has brought the world [here]. These workers come to the Gulf to find jobs, and then more than jobs, they find Christ,” said Babu Ganta, a Bible Society in the Gulf representative.

“Our ministry is to bring God’s Word to these people,” said Ranjini Ganta, a Bible Society in the Gulf representative. “We are always looking for new tools, new means. The Proclaimer has been one of the most important means by which we are presenting the Gospel to them.”

The Proclaimer is a self-powered audio player that is pre-loaded with the Audio Drama New Testament in the heart languages of people around the world.

Pastors are using 150 Proclaimers, but Montgomery said they could use up to 1,000 each year.