wfn.org | ADRA Continues Relief For Yugoslavian Evacuees

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

April 3, 1999
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

ADRA Continues Relief For Yugoslavian Evacuees

Silver Spring, MD, U.S.A.  -  The Adventist 
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) continues 
its relief efforts in Albania and Macedonia as 
the news media report more than 190,000 
refugees have overwhelmed these Yugoslavia 
neighbours in the past week.

ADRA is co-ordinating a shipment of nearly 
US$130,000 (16.5 pallets) of medicine and 
antibiotics to Albania, donated by Heart to 
Heart International, a non-profit organisation 
based in Olathe, Kansas. The international non-
governmental organisation (NGO) specialises in 
volunteer action and world-wide humanitarian 
assistance to alleviate human suffering. In 
addition to the medicine, Heart to Heart will 
provide two staff members to help with the 
logistics of the distribution. Through ADRA, 
the medicine will target the areas of Berat, 
Korēė, Kukės, and Vlorė in Albania.

This is not the first co-ordinated relief 
effort between ADRA and HTH International. The 
two organisations worked together in November 
1998 to ship and distribute 11 tons of medical 
supplies to hospitals, clinics, shelters and 
health 
centres throughout Honduras following Hurricane 
Mitch. That shipment was worth US$610,000. In 
1995, ADRA and Heart to Heart worked together 
for the first time on a shipment of donated 
medicine to Armenia.

"We have had such a good working relationship 
with ADRA in the past, and we feel that they 
are the best organisation at on-site 
distribution of medicine," says Kirsten 
Harrison, international programs project co-
ordinator for HTH. She adds, "ADRA is efficient 
and effective at getting medicine to those in 
most need. ADRA's staff have a good working 
knowledge of the countries they are in, making 
it easy for distribution."

ADRA is also co-ordinating the shipment of 
various relief supplies from other country 
offices. ADRA Italy sent a 20-foot container of 
rice to Skopje, Macedonia, where ADRA 
volunteers will deliver the food to designated 
refugee camps. 

ADRA United Kingdom is currently working on 
sending 
three vehicles to Tirane, Albania, with 
blankets, clothes, non-prescription medicine 
and hygiene products. 

ADRA Switzerland, Germany and Austria are also co-
ordinating a shipment of clothing and food for 
Albania. The 13 tons of clothing from Switzerland 
were donated by the Swiss community and many 
Seventh-day Adventist churches.

"There has been an overwhelming response and 
interest from caring and giving people from across 
the world through ADRA's network and we are confident 
that response will continue," says Milton McHenry, 
ADRA senior grants administrator.