Hurricane Katrina: UUSC volunteers will help survivors of Hurricane Katrina in recovery efforts

UUSC is providing a unique opportunity for volunteers to translate their values into action by participating in on-the-ground projects to help survivors of the Gulf Coast hurricanes regain their lives and livelihoods.

UUSC is completing plans and inviting volunteers for two one-week JustWorks camps – one will be based in Baton Rouge, La.; the other in Biloxi, Miss. – designed to assist survivors of Hurricane Katrina to remain in or return to their communities.

"The destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was so vast that there are estimates that clean-up and repairs will take many years," said Martha Thompson, manager of UUSC’s Rights in Humanitarian Crises Program. "The UUA-UUSC response effort supports the right of the hurricane survivors to return to their homes."

Each JustWorks experience will allow participants to work with community-based groups located in two areas of the country devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Participants will work on a number of tasks including cleaning, repairs, administrative support, and other tasks identified by community members.

The Katrina relief camps schedule is:

Baton Rouge, La., February 5-11. In collaboration with the Unitarian church of Baton Rouge, volunteers will work for two days in partnership with the national PICO-WIN organization to assist evacuees around their right to return to their communities. This will be followed by three days in New Orleans working on multi-task projects for the First UU Church of New Orleans and a multicultural elementary school.

Biloxi, Miss., March 5-11. Volunteers will work with community-based partners assisting returning survivors in clean-up and repair of damaged homes.

Participants will see the devastation created by Hurricane Katrina, meet with survivors, and learn more about the social structures (poverty, racism, politics) that also have severely affected many survivors. Both survivors and participants will benefit from relationships developed while working together to ameliorate social justice problems exacerbated by a natural disaster.

JustWorks camps are intended to provide volunteers with a service and learning opportunity that promotes respect for human rights and an understanding of the causes of injustice. Participants work directly with the communities, experiencing firsthand the damaging effects of injustice.

Spaces in both camps are filling up quickly. Get more information or download an application online for 2006 JustWorks camps. You may also contact Anna Bartlett, 800-388-3920, ext. 227, or e-mail justworks@uusc.org.

Learn more about UUSC's Katrina relief program.