"While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight, I'll fight to the very end!" William Booth
Indonesia
THE Salvation Army in Indonesia is assisting the local authorities with relief work after an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale hit the island of Java in early September. More than 60 people were killed - with others missing, presumed dead - and nearly 30,000 people were displaced from their homes. Around 55,000 houses were damaged.
With United Nations agencies and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), The Salvation Army's Compassion in Action team visited affected areas to make assessments. As a result of coordination with local government and village leaders, the team members began to provide relief assistance in Sukasetia Village in Cisayong, a sub-district of Tasikmalaya, one of the worst-affected areas.
Major Widiawati Tampia (Territorial Compassion in Action Coordinator) indicates that the initial assessment identified a need for blankets and mattresses, an emergency canteen to assist in cooking meals and nutrition for children, the provision of dry food and basic health treatment.
Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyone stated that international assistance is not required at this time, but the Salvation Army in Indonesia remains flexible and available to work in partnership with others to provide assistance to people who have been affected by this disaster.
Taiwan
Salvation Army Emergency Response in Taiwan Switches Focus to Education
IN the four weeks since Typhoon Morakot brought devastation to Taiwan, The Salvation Army has been providing volunteers for the clean-up operation, supporting local residents made homeless and helping families who have been left without almost all their possessions so that life can return to as normal as possible as quickly as possible.
The Salvation Army is well known around the world for its people-focused approach and Salvation Army officers in Taiwan have spent hundreds of hours in discussions with victims, village chiefs, school principals, government officials, directors of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and politicians to find the best ways to serve affected communities and promote a coordinated long-term approach.
The provision of education packs at a total cost of just over 2.8 million Taiwan New Dollars (more than US$85,000), mostly funded from overseas donations, is just one of a number of initiatives. In one particular area where families were left without many of their possessions, Salvation Army teams have provided more than 1,600 schoolchildren with clothing, shoes, books, bags and other equipment so that their return to school after the disruption will be as stress-free as possible.
There are plans for this type of intervention to be repeated in other communities and also for school equipment damaged in the storm and the aftermath to be replaced or repaired.
Major Michael Coleman, Officer Commanding of The Salvation Army in Taiwan, says The Salvation Army's is concerned not only for the children's material needs but also that some degree of normality will be returned to their lives. 'Some of these children are still living in very chaotic home situations, but at least we know they will have some stability in their school life,' he says.
The Salvation Army has provided disinfectant packs to 1,800 homes and sleeping bags to victims and relief workers. It has also deployed teams which have given 1,000 hours of assistance in clean-up operations.
Many roads and bridges have been destroyed, making travel and access extremely difficult. Hundreds of people had to be rescued by helicopter from the mountainsides and then provided with emergency accommodation in the towns and communities of the area. The Salvation Army has been seeking to assist as many as possible in these situations and bring some relief from the pain and loss this has caused.
The Salvation Army is in discussions with Kaohsiung County Government and school principals in the Maoying and Dou Nah areas. Some of the needs identified include:
Shoes for schoolchildren
Generators for schools still without power
Water filter systems for schools still without water
Some of the schools are only accessible by mountain roads that are currently in disrepair.
New needs continue to be discovered and international Salvation Army emergency responders, alongside local Salvationists and officers, are working hard to ensure that support is given where it is most needed and the most vulnerable people are given care and assistance.
The Salvation Army's international headquarters is located in London, England where the Army was first formed in 1865 by General William Booth.
One day in 1865 he found himself in the East End of London, preaching to crowds of people in the streets. Outside the Blind Beggar pub some missioners heard him speaking and were so impressed by his powerful preaching that they asked him to lead a series of meetings they were holding in a large tent.
The tent was situated on an old Quaker burial ground on Mile End waste in Whitechapel. The date for the first meeting was set for 2 July, 1865. To the poor and wretched of London's East End, Booth brought the good news of Jesus Christ and his love for all men. Booth soon realised he had found his destiny. He formed his own movement, which he called 'The Christian Mission'. In 1879 the name was changed to The Salvation Army.
In the United States, The Salvation Army's National headquarters is located in Alexandria, Va. The Salvation Army began its ministry in the United States in October 1879. Lieutenant Eliza Shirley left England to join her parents who had migrated to America earlier in search of work. She held meetings that were so successful that General William Booth sent Commissioner George Scott Railton and seven women officers to the United States in March 1880 to formalise the effort. Their initial street meeting was held on the dockside at Battery Park in New York City the day they arrived.
In only three years, operations had expanded into California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Salvation Army of Battle Creek began in 1887.