International (MNN) ― From typhoons in Bangladesh to raging fires in Nepal, the damage left in the wake of these natural disasters and many others like them was devastating.
Millions of dollars poured in from around the world in the first few waves of global response. Second-wave responders remained to see that the infrastructure was being put into place.
What happens when the relief groups pack up and go home? Nathan McLaughlin of FARMS International says there's a huge vacuum left behind that often reveals a ravaged local economy.
"A lot of these small vendor businesses will go out of business because there's a lot of free money; there's a lot of aid and support. One of the challenges then, and what FARMS has been working on over the past many years, is that, as those organizations leave, businesses need to get started back up."
FARMS provides the funds for the national loan committees. Those committees distribute loans to needy families recommended by local churches for income generating projects (loans range from $100 - $1,200). In this case, the funds are going to re-starting projects that atrophied with the influx of relief funds and supplies.
However, McLaughlin says the dollar isn't going as far as it used to, so that's having an impact on the restoration programs in the disaster zones...both in ministry and in business. "The poverty is really accentuated there. The challenge for the churches and the Christians in those areas is really extreme, but it's really a good opportunity to spread the Gospel. A lot of these groups that we work with overseas are able to get aid and help out directly."
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Thursday, July 17, 2008
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