Story number 1 for 23 Jan 2003

(Malawi)–We begin today in Malawi, where three and a half million people are in danger of starvation and harvest prospects look bleak. According to the United Nations, those numbers are expected to rise significantly this spring. SIM’s Tim Kopp says they’re responding to the emergency. “We, as SIM, have been asked to be a part of the relief program. We’ve been asked specifically by the African Evangelical Church, with whom we work. We have been assigned, by local district emergency committees, to particular areas of the country that are vulnerable.” Kopp says many of the people their teams are helping face multiple crises. “AIDS is another very critical concern; again, another contributing factor, simply because those that are orphaned or widowed just don’t have the resources for adequate farming, and that just compounds the need for food, because, in the end, there is nothing. So, this certainly provides a wonderful opportunity for sharing the Gospel and bringing hope in Christ Jesus.”