wfn.org | Frequently Asked Questions About The Kosovo Crisis

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12-April-1999 
99143 
 
    Frequently Asked Questions About The Kosovo Crisis 
 
    from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance 
 
What is the PDA account number if I want to contribute to the relief 
effort? 
    Account #9-2000137 
 
How has the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) responded to date? 
    $200,000 from One Great Hour of Sharing and designated funds are being 
used to provide emergency relief  food, drinking water, temporary shelter, 
blankets, and medicine - to the refugees who have fled the violence and 
ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.  We are working closely with all of our 
partners in the region to stay abreast of needs and appropriate ways to 
involve our congregations.  Currently, the most pressing need is financial. 
 
How can we respond financially? 
    The needs are massive and continue to grow daily.  Even if the refugees 
are allowed to return in a climate of peace and security the need for 
funding support to assist their return will be immense. Gifts of compassion 
can be made by Visa or MasterCard through the PDA web site 
(http://pda.pcusa.org) or by calling PresbyTel at 1-800-872-3283.  Gifts by 
check should be made payable to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and should 
reference the designated account number 
9-2000137 - Kosovo Relief. 
 
Our congregation would like to collect clothes, food, or supplies - How can 
we respond with material resources? 
    There is not a way to facilitate the collection or shipment of material 
resources donations from the U.S.   Cash donations allow our partner 
agencies that are established in the region to buy needed items.  This is a 
faster and more efficient way of meeting needs than sending items from over 
here. 
 
Who are our partners in this response? 
    Diakonia Agapes, the relief ministry of the Albania Orthodox Church, is 
taking the lead response to this crisis.  The majority of refugees are 
crossing the border into Albania. Diakonia Agapes has been active in 
ministering to refugees fleeing Kosovo for the past year, and previous work 
has had a special emphasis on women and children. Macedonia Center for 
International Cooperation (MCIC), a local non-governmental organization 
(NGO), has been the only NGO allowed to distribute food in the "no-man's 
land" of the border Macedonia-Kosovan border.  The "no-man's land" is an 
open field where 20,000 people have taken refuge.  MCIC is supplying the 
refugees in the field with clean water and has constructed lavatories to 
help with the sanitation 
needs. 
 
How are we connecting to the broader ecumenical response? 
    Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is a member of ACT (Action by Churches 
Together) which is our coordinating table in the region.  Seven airplanes 
have carried 146 metric tons of food and other relief items to Albania and 
Macedonia. The airlift started on April 2 with another three flights 
planned a week later and more planned. Of the seven flights so far, two 
have gone to Macedonia and five to Albania. Apart from emergency food, 
tents and blankets, two small trucks and two Land rovers have been 
airlifted for the relief work. By mid-April it was hoped that overland 
transport could be substituted for the airlifting of relief goods to 
Macedonia and Albania.  In Albania, relief items are received in the 
capital Tirana and then trucked up to the Kukes area on the border with 
Kosovo. The work of Diakonia Agapes, MCIC, and the International Orthodox 
Christian Charities, which is continuing relief activities in Kosovo, in 
Montenegro and in parts of Serbia is being coordinated by ACT. 
 
Do we have mission personnel in the region? 
    We have three mission personnel serving with the Albanian Orthodox 
Church.  Eloise and Art Ware, and Cheryl Lee Choy.  All are currently 
involved in the ministry of assisting the Kosovar refugees.  Please 
continue to keep our mission personnel in your prayers.  Additional 
information on Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission personnel can be found 
in the Mission Yearbook of Prayer. 
 
Can our church resettle a Kosovar refugee family? 
    No.  The 20,000 Kosovars that the United States has agreed to take will 
be flown to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where they will be housed in the shelters 
that previously held Haitian refugees.  The official U.S. position at the 
moment is that this will be temporary housing with the 
ultimate goal of returning all 20,000 to Kosovo.  They will not be eligible 
for refugee status in the U.S., and they will not be on U.S. soil 
therefore, cannot apply for political asylum. We will continue to monitor 
this closely and advise through our WEB site and Email list serve should 
there be any change in the official government position and resettlement 
becomes a possibility.  Most  policy analysts view the process of removing 
refugees from the area as a participation and advancement of ethnic 
cleansing.  The real objective, always, is to provide temporary protection 
and change conditions so that refugees can return to their country in a 
safe, and voluntary repatriation. Resettlement is always the last solution. 
 
Where can I find additional information on the Presbyterian response? 
    The Rev. Duncan Hanson, coordinator for Europe in the Worldwide 
Ministries Division and the Rev. Art Beals, mission pastor for University 
Presbyterian Church in Seattle, met in Albania at Easter time with Diakonia 
Agapes, the Evangelical Union of Albania, and other partners to develop a 
strategy for long-term relief.  Mission shorts and updates from Duncan 
Hanson and/or Art Beals are available on the PDA web site.. 
 
OUT OF CHAOS, HOPE 
    Please visit our Web site, http://pda.pcusa.org 

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