After a year's delay, MCC relief buckets are helping Venezuelan mudslide victims

Mennonite Central Committee
Friday, 8 June 2001

AKRON, Pa. After a year in limbo, 11,000 Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) relief buckets are now being distributed in Venezuela.

North American MCC supporters had assembled the buckets -- filled with soap, towels, toothbrushes and other supplies -- for Venezuelans affected by December 1999 mudslides. The relief buckets arrived in Venezuela by May 2000. Then, due to a host of problems, the buckets were held until last month.

The mudslides had damaged Venezuela's major port so ships were diverted to a smaller port that was inadequate to handle the traffic. Hundreds of shipping containers, including MCC's, piled up.

Port authorities and customs agents had little experience dealing with imported relief materials as Venezuela had not had a major national disaster in 20 years. As well, delays occurred as the local government went through seven separate elections over the past two years. Due to the slow process, the containers had to be moved from the wharf into warehouses, which then began charging storage fees.

Eventually the Venezuelan government confiscated MCC's six shipping containers and some 400 others, declaring them "abandoned." On May 24, officials turned the containers over to MCC's partner organization, the Evangelical Council. With much rejoicing, church volunteers gathered to unload the buckets the very same day.

The buckets are being distributed to families affected by the mudslides through Anabaptist churches, the Evangelical Council of Venezuela and Action by Churches Together (ACT), as originally planned. The buckets contain non-perishable items so nothing spoiled.

By this time most disaster victims have settled into new homes, but the process of starting over has been difficult. People now live in areas that are unfamiliar to them -- adults are starting new jobs and children are attending new schools. As the recipients re-establish their households, supplies from the relief buckets are still proving useful.

Working together on relief efforts is leading Anabaptist churches in Venezuela to cooperate in new ways and to expand their vision of ministry. In addition to sending the relief buckets, MCC had contributed funds to Venezuelan churches for purchasing local supplies. Church members assembled 600 relief kit buckets, which they distributed earlier.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org