Who We Are CWS works in more than 70 countries, including the U.S., in disaster relief, human development and refugee assistance. It is a ministry of the National Council of Churches, the nation's preeminent ecumenical organization which includes 34 Protestant and Orthodox member communions with a combined membership of 52 million. In exchange, recipients will repair terraces, roads and bridges, build water conservation systems and plant trees, all of which will strengthen the rural infrastructure to increase food security. About one-third of the beneficiary families will also receive seeds and tools. There is a return of conditions once prevalent in the 1960s.
People are desperate.
Illustrations of need are everywhere. The only protein many villagers can afford is one egg a day per family. The World Bank estimates that up to 50 million people will have difficulty maintaining a minimal level of food intake in the coming months. By the end of the year, fully 40 percent of the population is expected to be living below the poverty line, Rev. Tankersley reported. Sulawesi, one of Indonesia's five largest islands, has been particularly hard hit.