wfn.org | ADRA Projects In Kosovo Surpass 20 Million

[APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com]

March 5, 2000
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Continued ADRA Projects In Kosovo Surpass 20 
Million In Rehabilitation Assistance

Pristina, Kosovo.   The Adventist Development and 
Relief Agency (ADRA) continues to actively assist 
the Kosovars as they put their lives back 
together. ADRA's shelter, educational, water and 
sanitation, health and community service projects 
surpass US$20 million in rehabilitation 
assistance for the returned refugees.

ADRA Kosovo has four shelter programs, valued at 
more than US$8.5 million, including the 
rehabilitation of 1,625 houses. The shelter 
project for unfinished houses, funded by the U.S. 
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), 
concludes at the end of February with more than 
180 houses already completed and a further 60 
houses due for completion this month. This 
project now provides shelter for more than 270 
families (more than 1,900 people). "Recent large 
refugee movements in the Mitrovica and Gjakova 
regions have put an additional demand on 
shelter," says Paul Dulhunty, ADRA Kosovo 
operations director. "ADRA is seeking to fund the 
construction of more shelters in this area."
ADRA Japan and the United Nations Mission in 
Kosovo (UNMIK) are funding a winterisation 
project in the Skenderaj and Glogavac regions, 
expected to be completed by the end of this 
month. As a result, nearly 1,100 homes will be 
completely rehabilitated, providing housing for 
15,000 people. In December 1999, ADRA finished 
winterising 120 family homes (accommodations for 
700 people) in Gjakova, a project funded by the 
German Foreign Ministry.

Through ADRA's shelter project in Vushtrri, also 
funded by OFDA, nearly 200 homes have roofing 
materials, doors and windows supplied, and 
complete construction is due to be completed this 
month. This project will make shelter 
accommodations available for approximately 500 
families. Approximately 40 families (240 
beneficiaries) are already residing in these 
shelters.

ADRA has several educational projects valued at 
nearly US$7 million, sponsored by the Danish 
International Development Agency (DANIDA), the 
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
(UNHCR) and the U.N. International Children's 
Fund (UNICEF). The programs include the 
rehabilitation of 83 schools, all of which are 
available for occupation, and 77 of them are 
already completed. The educational projects also 
include re-furnishing, re-equipping and providing 
sanitation for the schools and mine awareness 
programs. ADRA finished the child-to-child mine 
awareness education project successfully, 
sponsored by UNICEF, at the end of December 1999. 
Four hundred children were taught how to avoid 
the risk of being hurt or maimed by a mine. Due 
to the project's success, UNICEF has asked ADRA 
to continue it.

ADRA is operating an emergency water and well 
rehabilitation and sanitation services project, 
valued at more than US$1.4 million. A total of 
2,055 contaminated wells were cleaned and 
rehabilitated and 560 latrines constructed since 
the project began in July 1999. Approximately 77 
villages (more than 10,600 households) received 
support in basic sanitation and public education. 
This project is sponsored by OFDA.

In the municipality of Urosevac, ADRA cleaned and 
rehabilitated another 100 wells, constructed 100 
latrines and septic tanks, and installed a 600-
meter (1,980 feet) free flow system, funded by 
United States Kosovo Forces (US-KFOR).

ADRA is operating two agricultural programs 
valued at nearly US$925,000. The livestock health 
program, which ended mid-January 2000, included 
the vaccination of 11,500 cattle and more than 
2,000 poultry in 50 villages. This project was 
funded by ADRA donors in New Zealand and 
Australia. The farm mechanisation project 
includes the contribution of a dozen tractors and 
12 sets of 4 implements (plow, hoe, fertilizer 
tool, etc.) from ADRA donors in Czech Republic.
ADRA started a new health project in Kosovo in 
January 2000, after completing three other 
projects in the same month. The school oral 
health project that started in January, valued at 
more than US$70,000, includes the visitation of 
two professional dentists to area schools. Dr. 
Reg Araujo of ADRA is also appointed by the World 
Health Organisation (WHO) to design the draft of 
the Oral Health Policy for Kosovo. The project is 
being funded by ADRA donors in United Kingdom and 
Norway.

Two health projects scheduled to be completed 
January 31, 2000, are the mobile surgical unit 
(MSU) and MSU vehicle and start-up medicine, 
together valued at more than US$330,000. The MSU 
is functioning since December 2, 1999, under the 
supervision of Dr. Jeevan Johnson from ADRA 
Albania, one of the first people to arrive in 
Kosovo following the crisis. The unit is 
providing emergency medical care to the residents 
and the medical training of several medical 
professionals in the Skenderaj region. The 
emergency cases undertaken are usually physical 
trauma due to knife-stabbing, vehicle accidents, 
minor burns, sepsis, post-operative sepsis, etc.
The total number of consultations made during the 
project is 365 in minor secondary health 
interventions, nearly 80 in primary health care 
and nearly 35 referrals made to general hospitals 
for major surgical interventions. The trained 
medical professionals will now continue the work 
in the emergency unit. This project is funded by 
ADRA donors in Denmark and the United Kingdom and 
by SOS Bosnia, a humanitarian organisation based 
in the United Kingdom.

"Due to the success and the identified necessity 
of the project, WHO asked that ADRA continue the 
program for another three months in the region of 
Mitrovica," says Armina Johnson, ADRA Kosovo 
project director. The extended project, valued at 
US$377,538, started February 1, 2000, with 
donations from ADRA Netherlands and United 
Kingdom.

The Primary Health Project funded by ADRA Japan, 
with two expatriate medical teams supervised by 
Dr. Johnson, has provided primary health care to 
more than 6,000 people in the south region of 
Kosovo since July 1999. The health project also 
included vaccinations for more than 750 children 
in 24 schools and was completed in December 1999.
Through several community service projects run 
through the last half of 1999, valued at more 
than US$1.3 million, ADRA assisted more than 
8,000 families (59,000 beneficiaries) through 
arrival centres, referral centres, emergency 
deliveries, hotline services and temporary 
community shelters. In Gjakova, two classes of 
women's initiative courses graduated with 35 
members successfully completing a three-month 
course in hairdressing and dress-making, 
organised by ADRA.