UCC members have contributed $28,880 in the past five days to the UCC's Myanmar Cyclone Fund to aid victims of the storm-ravaged country. The natural disaster has left more than 1 million homeless and tens of thousands dead.

Online donations have come from 289 UCC members and supporters who have responded thus far to an emergecy $100,000 appeal issued by the UCC's Wider Church Ministries.

Susan Sanders, the UCC's executive for global sharing of resources, says that – despite some news reports to the contrary – relief will be able to reach those affected by the disaster.

"One of the gifts of being part of the wider church, and committed to ecumenicity, is that we are able to work with and through partners around the world when disasters strike," Sanders says. "The UCC – as a member of Church World Service; and Action by Churches Together, International; and the World Council of Churches – is working with our partners to assess the situation and make plans for what we can do together to support the Myanmar Council of Churches and other local organizations in providing early relief and long-term rehabilitation."

Sanders says that a Church World Service relief worker arrived in Myanmar on May 7 to coordinate the ecumenical community's common effort.

"Our partners in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Thailand have experienced disaster response staff ready to deploy in the week or weeks to come," Sanders reports. "The Myanmar government is open to providing visas for persons from the region – so this is why we are looking to Asian partners to be the on-the-ground folks helping to support the Myanmar Council of Churches and other local organizations."

Church World Service has a license from the U.S. Treasury which permits the transfer of funds and relief items to Myanmar, Sanders says. The UCC's partner church, The Christian Conference of Asia, is also able to transmit funds to Myanmar. 

Contribute to the UCC's Myanmar Cyclone Fund.