Natural disasters are more devastating than war, especially for the world's poor, says former United Nations humanitarian officer. (INTERACTIVE)

September 2007

In the past 12 months, World Vision has responded to many regional weather-related disasters around the world:

• Last November, heavy rains in Africa's Horn caused major flooding, washing out communities.
• This summer, a remarkably severe monsoon season in South Asia wreaked havoc in parts of India, Bangladesh, China, and North Korea, where contaminated floodwaters sickened tens of thousands and wiped out crops.

• Recently, Hurricanes Dean and Felix both reached Category 5 strength and inundated coastal regions of the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America.
• Meanwhile, Southern Africa faces severe drought, causing fears of widespread hunger and malnutrition, while parts of West and East Africa face renewed devastation from more flooding recently.

Such examples reflect a recent spate of weather-induced natural disasters that have intensified talk of global climate change. Jan Egeland, former UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, contends that climate change is responsible for devastating seven times as many livelihoods worldwide as wars, and that the poorest people suffer the most as the situation worsens: "Where there was already drought, the droughts are getting worse. Where there was already flooding, the flooding [is] getting worse, as we speak."

As a Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision's primary role is to help poor children and families hit hardest by disasters, whatever their cause.

Lessons From Our First Big Disaster

During the early- and mid-1980s, a catastrophic drought struck Ethiopia, robbing people of the basic resources on which they depended to survive. Nearly 1 million died of starvation or hunger-related diseases. One focal point of the crisis was the Antsokia Valley, a 31-mile basin where this drought was the final nail in a coffin created by years of deforestation. Images of emaciated Ethiopian children shocked TV viewers worldwide.

In operation since 1950, World Vision had responded to many natural disasters. But this was by far the biggest and the worst. World Vision was working to save lives before the first televised images broke the news of this disaster to the world; in fact, our relief plane had enabled reporters to shoot that footage. Our faithful donors enabled us to provide critical food and supplies to severely malnourished residents of this isolated valley. Medical care was made available to those suffering from diseases like cholera, typhoid, and malaria. New water sources were developed.

Perhaps most importantly, after implementing these recovery steps, World Vision equipped the people of the Antsokia Valley to become better prepared for natural disasters. They learned new forms of farming that would sustain them through future droughts. Furthermore, as they worked with World Vision, they became gradually aware of God's great love for them, even in the face of devastation. Many became followers of Christ.

Today, Ethiopia's Antsokia region is an entirely different place than what it was two decades ago. More than 20 million new trees have been planted, giving vibrancy to a landscape that once appeared lifeless. Children go to school. Adults are now less fearful of droughts, knowing that the lessons they learned will serve them and their children when new challenges arise.

"The people who designed the programs could see what could happen — what did happen. They were visionaries," said the late Dr. Ted Engstrom, then World Vision's president. "Antsokia became a model for other organizations of what could be done in a barren patch of valley."

A Case Study In World Vision's Relief Work

The story of Antsokia's recovery is more than 20 years old, but it illustrates World Vision's work today — who we serve and how. One thing these global disasters have in common is the people who are hardest hit — low-income families and children, often living in substandard housing on marginal lands. Their livelihoods are closely tied to the weather and environment around them, and they have the fewest resources to cope in the aftermath of disasters.

"In Bangladesh, it's not the middle class who will suffer the most from flooding," says Randy Strash, World Vision's director of emergency response. "It's the poor fishermen who live in the coastal zones. And in Haiti, it's not the wealthy whose homes will first be wiped out by hurricanes. Again, it's the poor, whose dwellings are in the predictable paths of these storms."

Adapting to Changes

Today, World Vision is helping communities to adapt to climate variables and maintain livelihoods through modified practices — very similar to what was implemented in Antsokia. For example, corn production in rain-starved parts of Africa has been replaced by production of more drought-resistant crops. Water tanks are provided to families, enabling them to continue growing vegetables during the drought. Environmental preservation is emphasized.

One example of this is the Chingale area of Malawi.

"Only a few years ago, all the vegetation there had been cut off the surrounding mountains, resulting in flash floods and prolonged dry seasons," says David Scheiman, director of programs in Africa. "World Vision staff worked closely with the people of Chingale to protect and re-vegetate the mountainsides. Now, this vegetation acts like a giant sponge, absorbing water during rainy season and slowly releasing it all year long. For the first time, there is plenty of water for irrigated crops during dry season, and the drinking water wells are full again."

Such instances serve as a source of hope for lands ravaged by natural disaster. Nigel Marsh, World Vision's senior advisor for Africa, writes in an encouraging essay that all hope is not lost, despite the dire situation in parts of that continent: "It would wrong to conclude that there is nothing [we] can do to help communities … It has been heartening to see how many people have been able to survive — and even thrive — despite desperate circumstances."