NEW YORK — International humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) announced a $5 million public fundraising campaign for victims of the South Asia tsunami disaster. According to a news release, the agency's initial $1 million aid shipment airlifted last week. Shelter kits arrived for distribution in Sri Lanka Jan. 2.

"In the first two or three days following the disaster, we quickly surpassed a startup million dollar goal for contributions from our supporting denominations," said CWS executive director, Rev. John L. McCullough, "and that was without benefit of our national direct mail campaign, which is in the mail this week."

But much more is needed, McCullough said, to support Church World Service's tsunami recovery efforts in the region.

Church World Service Emergency Response Program Director Rick Augsburger, scheduled to be in the devastated region this week, said CWS was positioned to respond quickly to the disaster.

"The agency has longstanding presence in Southern Asia, with offices in Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and Indonesia," Augsburger said. "With over 100 staff in our Indonesia office, we responded immediately."

CWS is supported in part by 36 U.S. denominations. Initial pledges came from the United Church of Christ (UCC); Disciples of Christ--Week of Compassion; United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR); International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC); Reformed Church of America (RCA); Presbyterian Disaster Assistance; Episcopal Relief and Development; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); and the Church of the Brethren.

Contributions to support CWS Tsunami Recovery efforts may be sent to: Church World Service P.O. Box 968 Elkhart, IN 46515