March Colleague of the Month!

  

 

Wesley's Green Team

Green Team Update

A big shout out to Wesley! We have raised $1,169 for 4.67 latrines for the village of Katahoe in Togo, West Africa. There will be an opportunity to donate to this project through the fall.  

Wesley United Methodist Church’s Green Team Garden Proceeds to benefit the village of Katahoe, Togo 

This year the donations from the garden produce will go to help build 60 composting latrines in Katahoe, Togo. William Maier, a member of Wesley who is a Peace Corps volunteer in Katahoe, Togo, is seeking donations and has sent the following letter to describe the project:

I have been with Wesley for almost 10 years, nearly half of my life. Of all the churches I have visited, it embodies most of what I would call my spiritual home. I left Wesley and the States last year to become part of the Peace Corps in Togo. Togo is situated between Ghana and Benin in West Africa. Togo is distinctive in that it is one of 3 Peace Corps hardship posts out of 76 countries. It is extremely poor; enough to be rated at nearly the bottom in wealth and happiness.

I live in the village of Katahoe with 600 people without running water, electricity, or access to roads during the rainy season.

There are many needs, but what the community wants most right now are latrines.

When people go to the bathroom, they step to the edge of the village and use the toilette. These areas are the same areas where children play. Rain washes that same soil into the village. It is probably no surprise that every child experiences some kind of gastro-intestinal illness, and for many this happens every year. For those without access to medicine this can be very dangerous.
 
For the individual people in my village, every illness is basically a struggle on the thin divide of life and death. There are no doctors, no medication, and if someone’s condition gets worse, prayer is often all that can be offered. Yet, with latrines, we can prevent up to 80% of diarrheal diseases, save lives, and prevent the frightening experience that comes from being unsure of whether one will live.

Contributions to the Latrine Project will:

• Assist the construction of nearly 60 sustainable latrines for the village.
• Support trainings on hand-washing and personal hygiene
• Drastically lowering the incidence of infectious gastro-intestinal diseases.

Benefits of Latrines:

• Prevent the spread of pathogens on food.
• Protect vulnerable children.
• Is a highly effective and low-cost public health service (One $100-200 latrine can last for 35 years and prevent 80% of diarrheal diseases in an average family of 10, preventing a yearly expenditure of $24. A total cost being avoided: over $700, 2 years’ worth of income.)
• Keep the areas around the village clean and reduce the spread of parasites.
• Gives people in absolute poverty a sense of pride and self-improvement. Opportunities for self-improvement are few and nearly nonexistent in many villages.
• Reflects well on Americans and is a true service to others.

We are now completing the process to begin a Peace Corps recognized fund for our project. Address and details will follow.
Thank you!
William and the Village of Katahoe

United Methodists Respond to ICE Raids in Ellensburg

The arrest of more than two dozen undocumented immigrant workers in Ellensburg on January 20 prompted United Methodist support of persons affected, including hosting a community conversation about the way immigrant workers are treated. A January 26 article from United Methodist Communications details the church’s response.

CLICK HERE to read about the February 28 commemoration of the raid. United Methodists referred to in the article are Pastor Shalom Agtarap, retired pastor Lowell Murphree, and Larry Lowther, an active leader at the Ellensburg United Methodist Church.

CLICK HERE to read about the Ellensburg church’s role in providing hospitality in this cover article in the February, 2011, issue of Channels, a news magazine of the Pacific Northwest Conference of United Methodists.

CLICK HERE to read an Ellensburg Daily Record report of a response to the raid by leaders of statewide religious bodies, including United Methodist Bishop Grant Hagiya. See the full statement here.