Doing Our Part for Christchurch

The Salvation Army in Christchurch continues to work hard to help Christchurch move forward after February’s devastating earthquake.

The workload continues to increase for The Salvation Army’s earthquake response social workers. During the first three weeks of September, the team undertook 78 home visits and responded to 389 phone calls. There were 56 referrals for the same period, from Salvation Army Community Ministries centres, school community workers and campervan teams, as well as from Ministry of Education school social workers and the Christchurch City Council.

Captain Pauline Turner is part of The Salvation Army’s pastoral visitation team. ‘We are walking with people on the long, long journey after the quakes,’ she says. ‘The most important thing is a listening ear. Often people ask for material assistance, but that’s not their real need. The main issues for people now are the uncertainties they live with every day.

‘Some people would like to move, but feel stuck and isolated. We’ve supported people who have a “green” sticker on their house that means they can stay, but every other house on their street is “red” and has been evacuated. So they are alone on their street, with no transport. Others want to stay, but have to leave. They are facing uncertainty about when they are going to move, where they will go, which school their children will go to and so forth.

‘One young woman I’ll always remember is a sickness beneficiary. She lives with her mum who has kidney disease and still has to go outside to use a port-a-loo, and her dad had a heart attack because of all the stress. They are still waiting to find out what is going to happen to their house. We have provided constant practical and emotional support for them, and it’s been very fulfilling seeing their lives turn around. We gave the young woman financial support, and she burst into tears—it meant they could have a week away, just to have a break from it all.’

Pauline says The Salvation Army is helping in whatever way it can. ‘Sometimes it’s the little things—like a jar of homemade jam, or getting a couple of guys around to dig up the garden—that do the most to lift people’s spirits.’

The mobile support provided by Salvation Army earthquake response caravans continues to be valued by the Christchurch community. A campervan team provided refreshments, food and fun to children from a New Brighton Childcare Centre as they visited a park in Redwood last month. The aim of the outing was for the children to enjoy a taste of normalcy by enjoying such ‘normal things’ as running around on a flat, open field and using flush toilets. Campervan teams have been deployed to support other school outings and community activities.

Fifteen school community workers are now in place to help in 13 schools, supporting the needs of children impacted by the two major earthquakes and ongoing aftershocks. This allows teachers to concentrate on teaching. Two of the school community workers are in special needs schools.

The presenting needs of entire families often comes through their children, explains Jocelyn Smith, the school programme’s coordinator. ‘Going to a food bank to ask for help is quite daunting. Having someone who is part of the school community makes this easier. What we’re trying to do is make life work for the kids and their families, and the best way is to have people on the ground.

‘I recently surveyed parents [at Woolston School] to find out how they were going and how The Salvation Army can help. People are struggling with heating, finances, poor sleep and emotional stress—these are the biggies.’

During the school holidays, up to 60 children each day will be bussed from school locations to Sydenham Corps to take part in a school holiday programme. Close to 500 children will have taken part by the end of the holidays.

Says Jocelyn, ‘We couldn’t do any of this without the generosity of New Zealanders releasing funds into the city. To have the financial freedom to make a difference in people’s lives and make it happen now is just great.’

> Please donate to support The Salvation Army Canterbury Earthquake Appeal.