You Helped Them Find New Life in a New Land

Wisam's children dressed in uniforms for school - part of their new life in a new land.

JORDAN – It seems like a lifetime ago, but once upon a time Wisam had a good job in Mosul, Iraq, that allowed him to support his wife, Anwar, and their eight children. The family lived in a Christian community and enjoyed a good life together. Then, ISIS came.

Persecuted Christians in Iraq

The attack was brutal. Tragically, ISIS killed one of Wisam and Anwar’s daughters. Wisam was handcuffed and taken away from his family.

The ISIS attackers imprisoned Wisam in an underground borehole without food for over 72 hours. Thankfully, U.S. Army forces rescued Wisam, and he was reunited with his wife and children. Shortly thereafter, the whole family escaped to neighboring Jordan.

Refugees in Jordan

Unfortunately, their problems did not end when they left Iraq. In Jordan, the family is classified as visitors, and not refugees, by the United Nations. As visitors, they cannot receive benefits or protections from UN programs, and their only option was to move into a rented one-bedroom apartment in Amman. To make matters worse, visitors are not legally allowed to work in Jordan, which left Wisam with no way to support his family. With no money coming in, the children couldn’t go to school.

Things were looking bleak for this Christian refugee family who had already endured so much. “To be honest, I had nothing to feed my children,” Wisam said. That’s when Operation Blessing supporters like you became an answer to prayer for Wisam and his family.

You Sent Humanitarian Aid

Since 2015, Operation Blessing has been working with church leaders in Jordan to bring hope and relief to persecuted Christians and refugees from Iraq. Father Khalil, one of these church leaders, met Wisam and Anwar and connected them with OBI.

Through Operation Blessing supporters, the family received food supplies, winter clothes, a gas heater, and more! Not only that, OBI provided for the school-aged children to attend a local Operation Blessing-supported Christian school, including tuition, transportation, uniforms, school supplies, and even school lunches. “I was happy that my kids are now able to receive an education with your support,” said Wisam, who now helps at the school as a maintenance worker.

Now, after months of tragedy, turmoil, and persecution, Wisam, Anwar, and their children are settling into their new home. It may be small, but thanks to friends like you, it’s got everything they need.

Catastrophe in Southern Africa – Cyclone Idai

Cyclone Idai slamming into southern Africa.

ZIMBABWE – Recently, catastrophic Cyclone Idai hit southern Africa as one of the worst disasters to ever strike that area.

The cyclone first rolled into Mozambique on March 4th, and continued it’s path of devastation over Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, lasting weeks. Winds exceeded 100mph, and at some points floods reached as high as 18 feet. The death toll has currently reached over 750, with many still missing or in need of rescue. Officials suspect that millions have been affected by Cyclone Idai.

Thanks to you, Operation Blessing is responding to a hard hit area of Zimbabwe where the needs are great. Over 20,000 homes have been destroyed. Meanwhile, bridges have been swept away, and mudslides cover access roads. In this area many residents survived on rooftops. And they fear water-borne illness might breakout.

The government of Zimbabwe is heading up rescue missions and food distributions, but they still need so much help! In response to a request, Operation Blessing is sending a team to provide disaster relief such as solar lights, aquatabs, and safe water filtration systems to clean the water. And we’re prepared to provide assistance in other areas such as food, hygiene items, and medical care as the needs become clear. Check back for updates on our disaster response to Zimbabwe.

Please keep the people of southern Africa in your prayers. You can give a special gift to disaster victims in need today.

Relief for Venezuelan Refugees

Venezuelan refugees walk on a highway in the dark with solar lamps from Operation Blessing.

COLOMBIA – Due to an overwhelming humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, citizens are fleeing the border to Colombia in search of food, relief, and a chance at a better life. These refugees risk dangers like government gangs and drug cartels at illegal crossings because they simply must find a way to save themselves and their starving children. They are truly victims of an unimaginable situation in their country. And Operation Blessing partners are responding to their desperate cries for help.

After an advanced disaster relief team assessed the situation and passed out solar lights to protect refugees who travel long distances along highways at night in search of relief, a full team headed for the Colombian border. Working with relief stations that respectable organizations, like YWAM Colombia, had already set up along the way, Operation Blessing medical teams quickly set to work caring for these Venezuelans in great need.

Medical Care for Refugees in Need

Many suffered from skin disorders, leg pain, and back pain after their long journey. Others needed care for serious health conditions, and were thankful to find medical care.

During this time, thanks to you, the team kept distributing the priceless solar lights. They encouraged and brought joy to the downtrodden children with Superbook programs. And they also continued planning to bring the best clean water solutions to Venezuelan refugees in shelters and refugee camps, starting with a clean water station at the YWAM outpost near the border.

Your help is making a true difference in the midst of this horrific humanitarian crisis. You are giving hope to the desperate and putting smiles on the faces of children in need. Please consider giving a special gift for crisis victims during this urgent time.

Learn more about the Venezuela humanitarian crisis.

World Water Day and Every Day

WORLDWIDE – We join with the international community in celebrating World Water Day on March 22nd.

Because of you, every day is a water day at Operation Blessing, where we strive to provide clean water solutions for those in need around the world. We approach each unique situation with a fresh eye to provide the best solution possible, whether in the deserts of Judea, the mountains of Haiti, remote villages in Latin America, or areas recovering from natural disasters.

Give Water – Give Life

John 4:10-15 ESV

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Battling the Venezuela Humanitarian Crisis

CUCUTA, Colombia – The country of Venezuela is facing a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. As we’ve seen in the news headlines, Venezuelan families desperately need food, electricity, medical care, and other vital supplies. People are hungry, suffering, and even dying. But thanks to you, Operation Blessing is on the ground poised to help.

An Operation Blessing disaster relief team is on the ground in Colombia at the Venezuelan border assessing the situation and determining the best way Operation Blessing can help. At the border, floods of refugees are making the dangerous crossing into the country due to the Venezuela humanitarian crisis.

Map of border between Venezuela and Colombia These families are traversing rivers and risk violence as they flee the desperate situation. But they’re willing to do anything to save their lives and their children.

Relief Efforts for Venezuelan Refugees

Venezuelan refugees crossing the border.

There are desperate needs as the number of families fleeing rises. Operation Blessing is positioned to provide medical care, hygiene items, clean water solutions, and more. Already, the distribution of solar lamps has helped bring light to this dark situation.

Please consider making a special gift to help victims of humanitarian crisis and disaster today. Your support will help Operation Blessing respond to the crisis in Venezuela and other critical humanitarian and disaster emergencies around the world.

Learn more about the Venezuela humanitarian crisis.

Deploying to Alabama Tornadoes – Press Release

Victims of the Alabama tornadoes stand in front of their damaged home in need of disaster relief.

Operation Blessing Deploys U.S. Disaster Relief Team To Lee County, Alabama, For Tornado Relief Efforts

-Volunteers Needed Beginning Friday at 1pm-
-Residents Whose Homes Were Damaged Can Request Free Volunteer Help-

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (March 7, 2019) – The global humanitarian organization, Operation Blessing International, has deployed a team of disaster relief experts and a convoy of equipment to Lee County, Alabama, to assist with relief efforts following a string of deadly tornadoes.

Team leaders from Operation Blessing’s Virginia Beach headquarters arrived in Alabama on Tuesday to assess damages and meet with local emergency management officials in order to determine the areas of greatest need.

The convoy of equipment departed from Virginia Beach early this morning and includes a construction trailer loaded with tools and emergency supplies, a box truck full of relief supplies, and a skid steer for heavy debris removal.

Today, Operation Blessing will set up a base of operations at Golden Acres Baptist Church (3405 South Railroad Street, Phenix City) and will begin coordinating day volunteers beginning tomorrow (Friday) at 1pm.

VOLUNTEER INFO: WANT TO HELP?
Operation Blessing will be accepting disaster relief volunteers daily, except for Sundays. Volunteers should meet at the Operation Blessing base of operations at Golden Acres Baptist Church (3405 South Railroad Street, Phenix City). Please arrive by 8:15am (except for Friday, March 8). Day volunteers do not need to register in advance. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, dress appropriately for work in the field (long pants and hard soled shoes or work boots) and also provide their own transportation to and from the work site. For any questions about volunteering, please call OB’s national volunteer coordinator: 800-677-7974.

RESIDENTS NEEDING HELP:
Residents are invited come in person to fill out a work request for FREE volunteer help at Golden Acres Baptist Church (3405 South Railroad Street, Phenix City) daily (except for Sundays) from 9:30AM – 4:30PM. All residents must fill out a work order form and sign a release form in person, allowing volunteer teams access to your property. Volunteers will not be able to do work without a form SIGNED BY THE HOMEOWNER. Priority is given based on need (elderly, sick, disabled, etc) and is based on volunteer availability. Volunteer services offered include general debris removal, help finding and sorting salvageable belongings, chainsaw work and installing tarps on damaged roofs. For more information on how to apply for help: 757.284-9183

For more information on Operation Blessing International, please visit www.ob.org

ABOUT OPERATION BLESSING INTERNATIONAL:

Operation Blessing International (OBI) provides humanitarian services such as strategic disaster relief, medical aid, hunger relief, clean water and community development in 39 countries in the last year. Founded in 1978, Operation Blessing International has touched the lives of more than 321 million people in more than 105 countries and 50 states.

# # #

Contact:
Chris Roslan
Roslan & Campion Public Relations
(917) 538-5629

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Your support is critical in helping families struck by disaster. Click here to make an online donation today and let your gift make a significant impact in the lives of those who urgently need it.

Bringing Life to Dry Places

A young boy holds a water cup. Operation Blessing brings life to dry places.

WORLDWIDE – One of the top commitments of Operation Blessing and our faithful partners is bringing life to dry places all around the world. Sometimes this means bringing educational or business opportunities to areas in need, or medical care where none is available. But often it means literally bringing clean water to areas lacking enough safe drinking water.

While the human body can go weeks without food, and years without medical care, it can only survive a few days without water. Without clean water, communities struggle through debilitating stomach ailments and other waterborne diseases, some fatal. Children miss school and parents are unable to work due to illness.

That’s why Operation Blessing remains dedicated to supplying clean drinking water as one of our core programs. Thanks to your faithful support, we’re able to use a multi-fold approach. We treat each situation uniquely. By assessing the surrounding conditions, we choose the very best solution for lasting success.

Natural Disasters: During natural disasters that pollute water sources and destroy municipal systems, clean water often becomes the most urgent need. Thanks to you, Operation Blessing moves in quickly, whether in the wake of a hurricane in the United States, a flood in Mexico, or an earthquake in Indonesia. We supply bottled water and filtration systems for immediate relief during a crisis. Then, in long term situations like the hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico, we remain on the ground long after many other organizations have left. And we provide necessary safe water technology and guidance to keep clean water flowing to those in need.

Water Wells: In many dry places like Zambia, India, or parts of Latin America, a deep water well provides the best solution for fresh, clean water. Operation Blessing experts assess the situation and provide the resources to dig deeper and more efficiently to find those essential life-giving water supplies.

Community Water Systems: For communities in areas like Honduras or Guatemala, rain falls abundantly, but water sources quickly become contaminated by run off chemicals, waste, or even natural causes. And often, they lie far distances away. In these situations, a community water system provides the best long-term solution by funneling a natural water source down into a community. Combined with a purification system built within a 5,000 to 10,000-gallon water storage tank and pipeline network connecting homes directly to safe water contained within the storage tank, community water systems can provide clean water for decades to come.

Filtration Systems: Filtration systems can also provide a great solution in areas where water is abundant and easily available, but still not safe to drink. Like along Lake Titicaca in Peru. This might occur due to poor municipal water systems, contaminated wells, or disaster situations. In these cases, Kohler Clarity water filters can be distributed to individual schools or families. Operation Blessing can also supply larger community filtration systems or desalination systems as the situation demands.

Chlorination: Chlorination provides another powerful weapon in our battle against unsafe water. A small hand held device like the H2gO or the tabletop community SE200 can easily create enough chlorine to purify water for a village in Haiti or the Judean Desert. Meanwhile, large scale chlorination systems can be used to generate disinfectant for hospitals in places like Africa, or provide safe water for entire communities after disasters.

Safe to Drink at Last

Haitian villagers being trained to use chlorine generators.

HAITI – For many rural and remote communities in Haiti, access to safe water is an ongoing challenge. In December of 2017, Operation Blessing was conducting a medical mission in Kay Elie when OBI staff learned that the village and surrounding areas didn’t have clean water. As a result, the people were suffering from water-borne diseases. Thankfully, because of your support, Operation Blessing was able to provide a solution—chlorine. In the United States, chlorine has been used to disinfect drinking water for over a century. However, in places like Kay Elie there is little water supply infrastructure and no way to make chlorine.

Ending Waterborne Disease

Thanks to the support of faithful partners like you, Operation Blessing was able to respond immediately to the needs of Kay Elie and surrounding areas by giving two month’s worth of chlorine to each family who came to the medical mission. The chlorine had an immediate effect, and the instances of water-borne disease began to decrease. However, the finite supply quickly began to run out.

Helping the World Water Crisis

Kay Elie is far from the main road and supplying them with chlorine is a challenge. A more sustainable solution was needed, so Operation Blessing brought eight small H2gO chlorine generators and a larger SE200 unit.

Elsewhere in Haiti, even hospitals depend on Operation Blessing to supply chlorine for their water and for use as a disinfectant. Hospital Saint Boniface in Forets des Blanc receives shipments of chlorine from OBI, they then distribute the chlorine to other clinics and communities helping over 8,000 people a month. Not only that, the largest hospital in Haiti, the HUEH General Hospital, which serves over 20,000 people a month, uses chlorine from Operation Blessing in their water system and to keep their facilities sanitary.

Facing the threat of cholera, Pastor Arun in the Haitian community of Forets des Pins started a chlorine distribution program in 2013. Operation Blessing partners helped Pastor Arun by providing him with several chlorine generators that have allowed him to protect his neighbors. Since the program started five years ago, Pastor Arun reports that the area has not had a single case of cholera!

Thanks to your support, these are just a few examples of how Operation Blessing is using chlorine to improve the well-being of vulnerable populations across Haiti. Thank you for your compassionate heart that’s showing God’s love to the world through practical, powerful humanitarian aid.

A Tsunami of Water but Not a Drop to Drink

An Operation Blessing chlorine generator is put in use.

INDONESIA – When multiple earthquakes and a tsunami struck Indonesia, over 800 were killed and thousands were displaced from their homes. Despite the devastating wall of ocean water that swept over Palu City following the disasters, one of the greatest needs was clean drinking water.

Clean Water in Disasters

Obor Berkat (Operation Blessing) Indonesia moved into the area with relief just as soon as the immediate danger passed. With your help, the relief team provided emergency food, water, medical care, and solar lights to those living in makeshift camps and shelters.

However, the need for water proved great and far-reaching. Thanks to faithful supporters like you, a team of Operation Blessing water experts arrived to assess the best way to provide long term relief. Their goal: to deliver safe water technology and assist the local team in establishing a plan they could continue into the future.

On their arrival, they pinpointed locations, hospitals, and shelters in greatest need. Based on the number of people in need and other pertinent information, they chose the best safe water solution for each location.

The team also trained staff, volunteers, and community members in how to use the various safe water technologies. They distributed more than 150 H2gO handheld chlorinators, 8 SE-200 community chlorine generators, over 120 water backpacks for transporting water, and more than 40,000 water purifying Aquatabs!

Clean Water Tools Make a Difference

Each of these tools can turn unsafe water into clean, fresh water quickly and effectively, providing that vital source of life to entire communities of hurting disaster victims. In addition, you made it possible for the team set up larger systems and begin distributing huge quantities of bottled water to survivors in need.

Many children, families, and adults can’t return to their homes, either because they’ve been destroyed or for fear that the region still isn’t safe. Some of the survivors have moved to remote villages in the mountains for fear of another tsunami, and Operation Blessing has been one of the first organizations to reach them with aid.

By the time the OBI team of water experts left the area, they had trained the local staff to continue the work of supplying safe, clean water for those in need. Your ongoing support makes this kind of urgent and sustainable relief possible. Thank you for your heart to bless disaster victims like Ifa during their darkest hours.

Reaching Hurricane Florence Victims

Offering a hug to hurricane victims after Florence in North Carolina.

NORTH CAROLINA – In September, monster storm Hurricane Florence made impact along the U.S. East Coast. But thanks to your support, Operation Blessing’s U.S. Disaster Relief team stood ready to quickly respond to the desperate needs of hurricane victims.

As the storm made landfall, truckloads of relief supplies were staged near the disaster zone. Included in OBI’s arsenal was a mobile kitchen capable of making 1,000 meals per day, flood kits supplied by The Home Depot, pallets of bottled water, food, hygiene items, and more.

Disaster Relief Supplies

Thankfully, the storm, once a category 4, hit land in North Carolina as a category 1 hurricane. Still, Hurricane Florence packed a powerful punch. It crept slowly inland dumping enormous amounts of rain and causing significant wind and flood damage.

Two days after the initial impact, OBI began our first relief distribution in New Bern, N.C. This area with many low-income individuals suffered a hard hit from Hurricane Florence, and the conditions became worse throughout the week as nearby rivers rose. Without Limits Christian Center provided a distribution point and volunteers as OBI passed out hygiene items, flood kits, water, and food. They continued to partner with us over the coming weeks to help deploy and house volunteers to aid hurting residents with recovery.

Reaching Out To Hurricane Florence Victims With Hot Meals

In Lumberton, N.C, we quickly set up a second relief hub in partnership with East Lumberton Baptist Church. In the meantime more semi-truckloads of supplies and a KOHLER Disaster Relief Showering Trailer arrived at the impact zone to aid those in need and support the volunteer effort.

Sadly, 53 people lost their lives in Hurricane Florence, but you’ve sent help and hope to so many desperate survivors of the storm. We’ve served over 45,000 hot meals and our volunteer teams have helped to clean out and start the repair process on more than 90 homes. Over 1,500 Operation Blessing volunteers have reached out to the people of North Carolina, earning a visit of appreciation from the governor of the state.

It’s only because of you that we can offer this type of immediate and effective hurricane relief to help the hurting. Thank you for giving the gift of hope to hurricane victims in their darkest hours.

Check out stories of our efforts in North Carolina here.