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A D V E N T I S T D E V E L O P M E N T A N D R E L I E F A G E N C Y A U S T R A L I A

Following the Boxing Day Tsumani,Nurzman searched for a weekthrough mud and rubble for thebodies of his family.

The final good-bye“I kissed them one by one while sayinggood-bye. They waved as I left… I did notknow it was the last time I would see them.”

with hundreds of others, searched.Countless bodies were pulled from themud and rubble, but none were faces hecalled his own.

Then, news came that his five-year oldson, the only surviving member of hisfamily, was living with his grandmother.

“He cried when he saw me, and keptasking for his mother and siblings. Heasked why they hadn’t come to see him– I didn’t know what to say. All I coulddo was cry.”

“I didn’t have a home, I didn’t have anymoney. It was just my son and I. Butthen we met an ADRA.”

ADRA’s response following the 2004Boxing Day Tsunami stretched fromhardest hit Indonesia around the rim ofthe Indian Ocean into Africa. Emergencyfood, water and shelter formed theinitial phases of the response, savingthousands of lives.

This response and others like it aroundthe world are only possible because ofpeople like you. When disasters strike,ADRA Australia is able to respond within48 as a result of your generosity.Without it there would be deadly delaysin providing aid.

That day Nurzman, a father of four,left his rural village of Lamno forAceh, Indonesia in search of work.

Twenty days later a deadly tsunamistruck the coast.

“I thought it was impossible that the seacould come up so far,” he said. “The bigwave came chasing people like a hungrylion, eating buildings, cars and houses.”

“I thought it was the end of the world.All I wanted was to go home and seemy family.”

The tsunami, one of the world’s mostdeadly natural disasters, swept hundredsof kilometres of coastline out to sea.

While he longed for home and cried forhis family but Nurzman was leftstranded.

“I prayed and asked God that what hadhappened here did not happen at home.I asked God to save them.”

Two days later Nurzman negotiated hisway onto the first boat to bring aid toLamno. Before the men had finishedmooring, Nurzman was running to thehastily established evacuation centre.Sadly, there was no sign, or news, ofthem.

“So I searched for their bodies.”

For one agonizing week Nurzman, along

Spring 2013

“The big wave came chasing people

like a hungry lion,eating buildings, cars

and houses.”

ADRAnews-0813 20/8/13 5:14 PM Page 1

Network

NewsThe ADRA network has apresence in 125 countries.Recent projects implementedby other ADRA offices withinthe network include:

ADRA Malawi

Almost 300 ADRA trained community familyplanning volunteers are helping to increasethe accessibility and usage of modern familyplanning methods in rural Malawi. In doingso, they are helping to reduce the spread ofpoverty and disease, and ensure families cansupport their children.

ADRA Fiji

The growing of drugs, primarily marijuana, isan increasing problem in Fiji. ADRA isassisting farmers to grow economicallyviable crops and start a honey industry toadd incentives to avoiding the drugbusiness. In addition, the project is helpingto improve the access to clean water andhygiene and sanitation in remotecommunities.

ADRA Madagascar

As part of a large project helping to fight thespread of HIV/AIDS in Madagascar, ADRArecently hosted a Sports Against AIDS eventto publically transmit positive healthmessages. In particular the project works tofight the spread of HIV/AIDs among theMalagasy military, a high-risk population.

ADRA Somalia

A focus on improving the enrolment andcompletion rates of literacy classes bywomen from poor communities in Puntland,Somalia, is seeing communities completelytransformed. In addition, women arelearning vocational skills including tiemaking and tailoring to help them gainformal employment or become self-sufficient.

Message from the CEOFirstly, thank you. I have just passed six months ofserving as the CEO of ADRA Australia, and thegenerosity and commitment of ADRA's supporterscontinues to impress and inspire me.

A special thanks to those who support our HopeNation program each month – the consistency ofyour gifts enables us to plan ahead and use themoney effectively. Your generosity provides somepredictability in an unpredictable world. As I writeI am reminded of the words of Solomon in

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2, “Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yieldshigh returns. Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing toothers...”

One of the ways ADRA invests your donations in the lives of the poor is byimplementing disaster risk reduction activities (see page 4 for more details).These might be as simple as a group savings program to put aside funds tosupport families affected by an unusually bad flood. Or they might bebigger undertakings, such as replanting forests or developing a communityirrigation system to enable farmers to get by during an extra dry year.

Many of us take out health insurance to guard against unexpected expensesin the case of a serious illness or accident. But the reality for many living inpoverty is that they simply don’t have access to this kind of insurance - in aprofit driven world they are seen as too much of a risk. ADRA doesn't viewpeople that way, and I don’t believe God does either. For those of us whohave some extra wealth to share a small investment in the future of otherscan yield a high return.

Kind regards,

Mark WebsterChief Executive Officer ADRA Australia

PO Box 129(146 Fox Valley Road)Wahroonga NSW 2076Australia

www.facebook.com/ADRAAustralia

Contact Us: T: 02 9489 5488E: adra.info@adra.org.auwww.adra.org.au1800 24 ADRA (2372)

Editor Braden Blyde | Contributors Mark Webster / Kristen Salazar | Senior Management Chief Executive Officer Mark Webster / Chief Financial OfficerMelville Simonsz / Director of International Program Chris Jensen / Director ofNational Programs Rita Karraz / Director of Public and Supporter Relations JanelleMuller | Board of Directors Chester Stanley (chair) / Mark Webster (secretary) / Eveline Cornell-Tapp / Julie Praestiin / Ken Vogel / Kingsley Wood / Liliana Munoz/ Michael Peach / Peter Truscott / Wilf Rath / John Bagnall

ADRAnews-0813 20/8/13 5:14 PM Page 2

Myanmar – In response to violent communal clashes in Myanmar, ADRA is providingemergency water and hygiene kits to more than 8,000 internally displaced people. Alocal dispute between Buddhist and Muslim groups in Mandalay resulted in 44fatalities and more than 12,000 people being displaced.

Syria – In addition to its work supporting Syrian refugees on the Jordanian border,ADRA is helping to provide medical assistance on the Lebanese border, includinggynaecological and obstetrical care, a mobile health clinic and the distribution ofantenatal vitamins for female refugees.

India – ADRA is continuing its response to India’s worst natural disaster since the 2004tsunami through the distribution of mosquito nets, blankets, tarpaulins and otheressential items to more than 7,500 people. Monsoonal rains caused widespread

flooding and 5,700 deaths in the Northern State of Uttarakhand.

All of this is because of you! Thank you. For more informationabout these and other responses, visit www.adra.org.auOver 95 per cent of the people killed by

disasters live in middle and low-incomecountries - United Nations

thinkabout it

Helping the Churchmake changeBy utilising strong links with even themost remote communities in Papua NewGuinea, the Seventh-day AdventistChurch can play an important role inempowering communities in what is oneof the world’s least developed nations.Recognising this, ADRA’s ChurchPartnership Program funds numerouschurch run development activities acrossthe country. These include:

• Leading community health promotionand training including volunteer birthattendants, communicable and non-communicable diseases and life-stylechoices.

• Holding multi-region health summitsorganised through the AdventistChurch’s Health Department.

• Providing free voluntary HIV/AIDstesting and support in Lae and Morobe.

• Funding teacher training for more than200 elementary teachers in order togain national accreditation.

• Engaging Adventist Women’sMinistries’ in advocacy programsagainst violence against women.

• Providing economic and vocationaltraining for the poor across the country.

• Running youth training programs thatpromote responsibility and self-reliance.

• Improving Church administration andproject management processes.

• Establishing counselling services in allprimary, junior and secondary schools.

The program recently entered its 10thyear, with its impact felt across all ofPNG’s 22 provinces. The total number of

beneficiaries now totals tens ofthousands. And, with plans for at leastanother 3 years of the program muchmore is going to be done.

The Church Partnership Program is aclear example that by working togethercan we make a massive difference.Thank you for being part of this life-changing ministry.

“We used collect wood every day forour fires. But now we use much less.We have more time and theenvironment is much happier.” Liziproudly shows us the ‘rocket stove’she made, and explains how just afew sticks is enough to cook herfamily’s meal thanks to its highlyefficient design.

Communities in Salima District,Malawi are have been taught by ADRA to make, use and sell thesesimple clay stoves as part of a larger development project in the area.

“We are better off. The environment is better. We areall winners,” she smiles.

Sustainable development ensures the work we do isn’tjust a band-aid solution – but that the life-savingchanges are addressing poverty in the long-term. In thelast 12 months we’ve started four new projects thatdirectly address sustainability by equippingcommunities to address the challenges of changingclimates and the potential for increased rates ofpoverty and vulnerability to disasters.

Lizi and thousands like her have more certaintyabout the future thanks to your support. Thank you!

Progress Overseas - International Program

Promoting Sustainable Practice

Emergency Response

ADRAnews-0813 20/8/13 5:15 PM Page 3

But ADRA’s work didn’tstop there. Helpingfamilies reconstruct andreclaim livelihoodsthrough vocationaltraining, savingsprograms andstrengthening communityconnectedness andgovernance mechanismscontinued in the monthsand years following thetsunami. If thecommunities were to ever recover and move beyond systemic poverty thesesteps weren’t just important, but vital.

And now, almost a decade on ADRA continues to work with communities suchas Nurzman’s to not only respond to, but prepare for and reduce the risksassociated with natural disasters.

As late as last year Cemarajaya Village, Indonesia, would often flood at hightide - the roads, homes and businesses that fringed the coast would hangprecariously over the eroded beach.

As a result of changing climates Indonesia has experienced increasedtemperatures and rainfall, more frequent and destructive tropical storms andrising sea-levels. The result is more and more people at risk of losing theirlives and their livelihoods.

Today things are different in Cemarajaya. If you were to visit you’d be hardpressed to miss the bamboo groynes (break walls) stretching from thecoastline out to the sea, and the sand that has already began to build besidethem.

Forced to live on the vulnerable coast line as a result of their poverty, thecommunity face the constant and creeping effects of erosion. Plus, theirprecarious situation presents the very real risk that a more serious event willsimply wipe them out.

In the three months since the bamboo groynes were installed by thecommunity as part of ADRA’s disaster risk reduction project (See ‘But Why...?’at right for more) the beach has grown 5 metres. It’s created a virtualinsurance policy for the community against the effects of the changingclimate and the risk of future disasters.

Every year disasters kill about 70,000 and affect more than 200 millionpeople across the globe—the majority of whom live in poverty. By investingin activities that reduce people’s vulnerability to disasters we can reduce theheartache people like Nurzman have feel and by ensuring we have the fundsavailable to respond quickly we have the ability to save lives.

By committing just 50c from every $100 you earn towards Hope Nationbefore October 30 you can help ADRA prepare for and respond todisasters—giving hope to others just like Nurzman.

Simply complete the included Hope Nation form and return it to ADRAAustralia, call 1800 242 or visit www.adra.org.au

Continued from page 1

Feature

But why…?Disaster Risk Reduction:Saving Money – Saving Lives

Want to save $7? Take a dollar and investit in helping communities prepare for, andreduce their risks from disasters. Or, investit in Australia and save $10.

Disaster Risk Reduction is about preparingcommunities for disasters throughprepositioning supplies including waterpurification and hygiene kits, capacitybuilding through emergency simulationsand training, and communitystrengthening by helping them to identifyrisks and vulnerabilities and developappropriate emergency proceedures.

In an environment with increasingnumbers and intensity of disasters, puttingmoney towards disaster mitigation andrisk reduction is a wise investment. TheUN calls it ‘a triple win’, with a recentreport stating, disaster risk reduction‘helps reduce the impact of hazards,decreases poverty and allows communitiesto adapt to climate change’.

Each year 500 natural disasters costgovernment and society more than $2.4billion globally – they also kill 70,000 andaffect more than 200 million people.Clearly, putting money towards disastersbefore they occur doesn’t just save money– it saves lives. The majority of which arepoor.

Poor people are far more likely to occupydangerous and disaster prone locations –flood plains, river banks, steep sloped andreclaimed land – because it is cheaper.

They are also the ones who suffer thegreatest long-term consequences ofdisasters – they have no insurance and nosavings to invest in recovery, and theyoften lose their homes, jobs andlivelihoods. Not only are they poorerfollowing a disaster, they are made morevulnerable to the next one.

But by working with them to understandtheir risks and prepare for futureemergencies we have the opportunity tosave lives – that’s why Disaster RiskReduction is a wise investment and a corepart of ADRA Australia’s work.

These bamboo groynes are helping torebuild the beach and provide protectionto the vulnerable Indonesian community.

Their precarious situation presents the very realrisk that a more serious event, such as the Boxing

Day Tsunami, will simply wipe them out.

ADRAnews-0813 20/8/13 5:15 PM Page 4

Progress At Home – National Program

Soil, plant, vegetables Recent research has confirmed that Communitygardens are more than just an opportunity forgreen-thumbs to ply their trade in public. AUniversity of New South Wales paper publishedearlier this year concluded that ‘communitygardens can play a significant role in enhancingthe physical, emotional and spiritual well-beingnecessary to build healthy and sociallysustainable communities’.

Blacktown Adventist Church is one of the firstgroups to bring ADRA’s Community Gardensprogram to their community, launching theinitiative with ‘the first dig’ last month.

“It’s particularly excitingto see some of thesegardens popping up inurban areas such asBlacktown,” said RitaKarraz, National ProgramsDirector.

In addition to Blacktownleaders from Mile End,Grafton and Bowral(NSW), Springwood (QLD) and Carington and Darby (WA) recently returnedfrom ADRA’s training to their communities to improve social connectedness andincrease healthy living and eating through their gardens.

Are you interested in joining or starting an ADRA Community Garden? Let us know at adra.info@adra.org.au!

In the past ADRA’s domestic emergencymanagement program has only reached as faras NSW, WA, QLD and the ACT. But excitingdevelopments with government in bothVictoria and South Australia has seen ouremergency management program formallyextend into new territory.

In Victoria, we are working at local andregional levels to provide and support disasterrecovery services through the CouncilCollaboration Recovery Project. In response tothe royal commission into the Black SaturdayFires, ADRA has been invited to contribute as aresult of the our widely respected capacity andexpertise. Arrangements arestill being finalised, but it islikely ADRA will be involvedin the management and

training of volunteers across the north andwest metro areas.

In South Australia, the Department ofCommunities and Social Inclusion hasrequested ADRA assist in a new program tohelp provide and manage spontaneousvolunteers following a disaster. Working withother agencies ADRA staff are currentlypreparing a list of available volunteers andparticipating in training on the use of anonline registration package.

If you would like to be an EmergencyManagement volunteer please contact yourConference’s Director of ADRA Services orvisit www.adra.org.au to register yourinterest.

thinkabout it

In 2012 alone, the total economic cost of naturaldisasters in Australia is estimated to haveexceeded $6 billion – this is expected to doubleby 2030 - Deloitte Access Economics.

New Territory for Emergency Management

Committed to healthConnie Toga is committed to health – but notjust her own. During August, Connie, a studentof the Indigenous Lifestyle Health Promotioncourse offered at Mamarapha College, WA, inpartnership with ADRA Australia, ran a series ofcommunity education programs in the Perthsuburb of Bassendean.

“After the program people want to makepositive health choices. They want to change,”Connie said of all 40 participants. “In manycases they were not aware of why theyneeded to exercise or have good nutrition.Now they can intelligently make a decisionabout doing it themselves.”

“It’s a joy knowing people are being

empowered to make better choices for theirlives and that they impact their families andthe people they share it with.”

The course, which sees community trainerslike Connie returning to remote communitiesacross Australia, has doubled its enrolment inthe last 12 months.

“Indigenous health is a significant nationalissue,” says Rita Karraz, ADRA’s NationalPrograms Director. “Empowering people likeConnie with the information and skills theyneed to transform their community iseffectively reaching people otherwise missedas a result of their remote locations andother factors.”

Connie and others just like her arechanging lives thanks to your support!

ADRAnews-0813 20/8/13 5:15 PM Page 5

It took 15 runners just sixhours to cover 111km aspart of what must be oneof the craziest fundraisersADRA supporters havecompleted this year.

The Run through theNight, which raised fundsfor a local ADRAConnections trip to Nepal

(and Doctors Without Borders), saw participants leaping from a moving bus topush an aerodynamic wheel-barrow at a sprint for 15 seconds, before smoothlytransitioning to the next runner.

“The runners were fit and we’d been practicingthis style of running before-hand,” saidcoordinator Norm Hammond. “Running down adark highway with only escort vehicles around,music resounding through the night and lightsflashing creates an eerie, and memorable,effect.”

To all the runners – and others out there –raising funds to support our work, thank you!Watch a recap of The Run Through the Night onour blog at www.adra.org.au

Running through the Night

You Did It! Thanks for Getting Involved

Maybe you knocked, maybe you didn’t.But the impact of the ADRA Appeal hasbeen felt across the globe in the last 12months. Here’s what you helped achieveby taking part in the 2012 ADRA Appeal:

• 374 churches raised just over $1million

• The average was $15 per member,with one church averaged $950 permember!

• ADRA Appeal funds helped startprojects including:

- A Refugee Settlement Program inSouth Australia that is now beingrolled out across the country

- Two new community mealsprograms in Australia

- A sustainable agriculture project inCambodia ensuring secure foodsources for thousands

- An education program in Vietnamthat is teaching ethnic minoritywomen to read and write for thefirst time.

This year we want to do more. That’swhy we’re challenging everyone to raise$40 during the ADRA Appeal in October.Just knocking on doors or collecting in apublic place for 1 hour will help us toassist an extra 13,000 people in thecoming year.

For more ADRA Appeal informationand resources visitwww.adra.org.au/adrappeal or follow#knocktober on Facebook and Twitter

Grade 4 students at HillsAdventist College, Sydney,spent second termlearning aboutconsumerism – budgets,the provisions of goods,advertising and consumerrights and responsibilities.All pretty heavy stuff fornine-year-olds.

But the unit culminated inthe students starting small businesses to turn what they’d learned intoaction that made a positive difference – all profits were used to purchaseitems from our Grant-a-Wish Gift catalogue.

“The unit helped them understand that in Australiawe are lucky, that all our needs and most of ourwants are met, and that in other countries there arechildren whose needs are not met. So they decidedto help some of those children,” said teacher, JulieSutton. “The students made $187, so we were ableto purchase fruit trees, a greenhouse, a chickenbusiness and sports pack online.

Thank you Hills Adventist College students! Yourdecision to make a difference is inspiring.

Appealing Impact

thinkabout it

Natural disasters have cost theglobal economy $2.5 trillionsince 2000 - United Nations

Turning Consumerism into Charity

ADRAnews-0813 20/8/13 5:15 PM Page 6

Share your ADRA storyWe would love to hear from people involvedwith ADRA in any way. Why not share a fewlines telling us what you are doing? Send 200words, a picture* of your activities and yourcontact details to news@adra.org.au. We’dlove to share your ideas with others!

Events to Join

� Spring Cycle NSW - October 20 (springcycle.com.au)

� Noosa Multi-sport Festival QLD – November 3 (usmevents.com.au)

� Great Ocean Road Ride VIC – 9-11 February (25000spins.com)

� Bobin Head Classic NSW – March 23 (bobinheadcycleclassic.com.au)

An opportunity toserve ‘in the bestpossible way’Anna Robertson’s successfulcareer in the finance and insurance industries proved a strong foundation whenshe took over as volunteer manager of the ADRA Op Shop in Wadonga (Vic). Withsupport from a team of volunteers she has turned the shop into a second-handboutique, helping to raise funds for ADRA’s work here in Australia and overseas.

“I love doing what I do as a volunteer,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to help inthe best possible way and to make ADRA’s presence known in the community.”

A daily 4km walk, time at the gym and a generous heart keeps Anna, who is inher early 70s, young. Thank you Anna and the team at the ADRA Op Shop inWadonga for your selfless service.

Want to read more about ADRA volunteers across the country? Tune in to ourblog at www.adra.org.au

Want to pedal for a purpose? Events across thecountry provide a great challenge and anawesome opportunity to raise funds to helpchange lives around the world.

Do you want to serve in 2014?Get your friends, family, school orchurch group together and book anADRA Connections trip now. Tripsacross the Pacific, Asia and Africaare filling fast, so get in quick. Visit www.adra.org.au/connections for more information.

*Digital photos should be a minimum of 3 megapixels. By sending photos to ADRA Australia,you give permission for photos to be published at the discretion of ADRA Australia.

Micah Challenge On September 7 we will all be heading tothe polls. As Christians committed to justiceand compassion, a new Government willbring with it new challenges and newopportunities. Scripture reminds us thatspeaking up for the poor and needy is partof our Christian responsibility (see Proverbs31:8 for one example). Your vote isimportant, but it is only one way to useyour voice. Join us in helping to ensure ourpoliticians remain focused on tackling globalpoverty when elected into Parliament.

Between now and election day jointhousands calling for justice by:

1) Emailing your candidates asking them tobe champions of a generous and effectiveaid program.

2) Use social media to engage yourcandidates in a conversation aboutAustralia’s role in helping to tackle globalpoverty.

Visit Micah Challenge’s election campaignpage (www.micahchallenge.org.au/take-action) to download the ElectionAction Guide developed specifically for yourelectorate.

The vast majority of Australians support agenerous and effective aid program.However, there is an ever-present dangerthat both sides of politics will waver in theircommitments to increase aid and alsoensure it is targeted towards tackling theworst aspects of poverty.

As we approach the election, please dowhat you can to raise your voice for andwith the world’s poorest people by askingelection candidates to be champions for aid.

Micah Challenge’s guide provides you withcontact details for candidates in yourelectorate, and all the information you needto engage your candidates through emailand social media.

Aside from voting, it’s probably the mostsignificant thing you can do to ensure thatAustralia’s politicians help to tackle globalpoverty. For more resources, find us atwww.facebook.com/ADRAAustralia andTwitter @ADRAAustralia Thank you for beinga voice for justice.

ADRA Australia is a member of the Micah Challenge – acoalition of Christian aid agencies which advocates forthe world’s poor.

ADRAnews-0813 20/8/13 5:15 PM Page 7

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Australia Ltd

146 Fox Valley Road (PO Box 129) Wahroonga NSW 2076

1800 24 ADRA | adra.info@adra.org.au | www.adra.org.au

ADRAkids lHi YoungAussies!

Nurzman, and thousandsof other Indonesians losteverything and everyone when theBoxing Day Tsunami struck in 2004 (seepage 1). Around the world millions of people areaffected by disasters every year – they destroy

homes, farms, business and schools. Those thatare already poor are always the most seriouslyaffected.

But there are things that we can do to help.The bamboo groynes shown on page three arejust one example. These simple structures arehelping protect communities like Nurzman'sfrom erosion and the disastrous effects ofchanging climate.

Before you join the dots, can you guess whatthe picture is? Here’s a clue… Just like thebamboo groynes, you put this on to prepare forand protect against disaster - and it saves lives!

For the Armchair Traveller…A common sight across Asia and Africa are men, women andchildren seemingly stomping repeatedly in the middle of greenfields. This, the treadle pump, is the cause. Treadle pumps are asimple, locally made, low-cost technology that allow families tomove water for irrigation from damns, creeks and other watersources across a much wider area than traditional methodsallow. The result? More food to eat and the ability to earn anincome from the land.

ADRAnews-0813 20/8/13 5:15 PM Page 8