wfn.org | UMCOR joins ecumenical relief efforts in Afghanistan

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

June 10, 1998	Contact: Linda Bloom*(212) 870-3803*New York       {359}

By United Methodist News Service

A region of Afghanistan crippled by two recent earthquakes is getting
long-term assistance from Action by Churches Together (ACT), which
includes the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).

Specific work is being handled through Church World Service, the relief
agency of the National Council of Churches, and Norwegian Church Aid.
Church World Service announced on June 9 that the agencies would
concentrate on 1,500 households in 15 villages of the Rustaq District
and distribute 1,500 tents, 3,000 blankets and 1,500 food baskets.

The first powerful earthquake in that district, part of the Takhar
Province, occurred on Feb. 4. About 32,000 people in 24 villages were
affected, according to ACT's assessment. Local authorities counted 2,323
deaths and 818 injuries. More than 8,000 houses were destroyed and more
than 3,000 livestock perished from the quake.

ACT's appeal to raise $235,000 for the February  earthquake included
providing assistance with seeds, fertilizers and agricultural tools over
a six-month period. "The stricken area is extremely poor with almost no
infrastructure," the ACT appeal stated. "The economy of the area is
mostly centered on livestock with some cereal production."

On May 30, an even stronger earthquake in the region killed another
3,000 people. Sixty villages were affected and an estimated 60,000 left
homeless. The damage included the total destruction of some villages
that had been swept down the mountainsides. ACT has since issued a
second appeal for $102,925. 

UMCOR is responding to the Afghanistan earthquakes through ACT.
Donations can be made to UMCOR's International Disaster Response No.
982450-8, designated for Afghanistan, and left in church collection
plates or mailed directly to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New
York, NY 10115.

UMCOR also has sent a grant of $10,000 for humanitarian relief in
Bolivia, where a recent earthquake killed more than 100 people and
demolished two towns. Donations can be made through the same
international disaster number, earmarked for Bolivia. 

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United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
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