wfn.org | ADRA Continues Assisting Kosovar Refugees In Albania

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

June 13, 1999
Adventist Press Service(APD)
Christian B. Schäffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland 
 

ADRA Continues Assisting Up To 100,000 Kosovar Refugees 
In Albania

Tirana, Albania.  As the number of refugees populating 
Albania have reportedly extended beyond 400,000, the 
Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) continues 
to be the World Food Programme's (WFP) largest 
implementing partner in food distribution, currently assisting 
up to 100,000 refugees throughout the country.
ADRA Albania is distributing food to all of the refugees, 
approximately 40,000, in the prefectures of Fier, Vlorė, 
Berat, and Gjirokastėr, equal to the entire southwest of 
Albania. ADRA is also providing assistance for one-third, also 
approximately 40,000, refugees in three Kukės area camps 
with daily food rations and donated clothing.

"It is hard to give a solid number of refugees living in ADRA's 
Kukės camps because as refugees come across the Albanian 
border into the camp, the refugees located there from a day 
or two before are already being transported down to the 
southern camps," explains Fred Kumah, ADRA Kenya director 
and acting director for the food distribution in Albania. "Also, 
in the past 10 days, a larger number of refugees have been 
moving out of the Kukės camps than the number of those 
coming across the border into the camp."

Because reports indicate a recent increase in military activity 
around the Albanian border, Kumah says that the refugees 
will most likely be moved out of Kukės. As a result, by the 
end of June, ADRA suspects that there could be as many as 
100,000 refugees in its four southern camps. Increased 
military activity, he says, might also increase the number of 
refugees currently crossing Albania's border, expanding the 
number of refugees in camps throughout country.

Daily food rations provided by ADRA at the Kukės camps 
include one hot meal, fresh loaves of bread, fresh produce 
and items such as oil, beans, sugar and salt. The hot meals, 
funded by CARE, consist of a rotating menu of three main 
dishes; two types of thick stew (goulash) and pasta. The hot 
meals are prepared by 30 volunteer cooks, all being 
supervised by two professional Kosovar chefs. "Before ADRA 
took over the camp recently and hired the Kosovar chefs, it 
is estimated that only one in three refugees would eat the 
hot meal, since it was not prepared to their liking," says 
Catherine Robinson, ADRA Albania public relations officer. 
"Now, the amount of those eating the hot meals has 
increased to almost 100 percent."

The 30,000 loaves of fresh bread provided for the meals 
each day are being distributed by ADRA. Half of the loaves 
are provided through contracting ADRA has with bakeries in 
Kukės, on behalf of the United Nations High Commissioner 
for Refugees (UNHCR). "The other half are being baked in 
Elbasan and trucked daily to Kukės, an 8- to10-hour trip," 
says Robinson. "Once a mobile bakery owned by War Child, 
a British nongovernmental organization, is operational, they 
will alleviate 15,000 of the loaves from being transported 
from Elbasan."

The fresh produce that ADRA is distributing as part of the 
daily ration meals includes such items as tomatoes, 
cucumbers, oranges and apples, also funded by UNHCR. 
Each person receives produce valued at US$3.6 per month. 
Canned fish and meat is also available for emergency 
feedings. 

ADRA's international network also continues to support the 
efforts in Albania. ADRA Denmark is organizing the shipment 
of 12 five-ton trucks of supplies to Albania, with a 
US$478,000 grant from the Danish International 
Development Agency (DANIDA). Ten of the trucks will carry 
25,500 blankets, also funded by the DANIDA grant, and the 
remaining two trucks will carry donated hygiene articles. 
Once in Albania, the trucks will be used by ADRA Albania in 
its food distribution program. The trucks are expected to 
leave Denmark next week.

This is the third shipment of trucks to Albania from ADRA 
Denmark. On April 13, five 10-ton trucks filled with nearly 
7,000 blankets arrived in Albania. Later that month, ADRA 
Denmark purchased and sent four utility vehicles for the 
purpose of transporting personnel and supplies of ADRA 
Albania's health program. In total, ADRA Albania now has 23 
vehicles at its disposal, out of which 22 originated from 
ADRA Denmark with US$1 million in funding from DANIDA.

Since May 1, ADRA United Kingdom is responsible for the 
shipment of approximately 96 tons of donated materials, 
valued at nearly US$300,000, to ADRA Albania. The 
shipments included such items as clothing, bedding and 
blankets, household items, medicine and hygiene products. 
Additionally, ADRA UK is providing a stationary 40-foot trailer 
that is being used as storage next to the ADRA warehouse in 
Tiranė. ADRA Canada recently donated US$10,000 to assist 
in ADRA's volunteer program and other aspects of ADRA's 
relief assistance in Albania.

ADRA, formed in 1956, is an independent, humanitarian 
agency established with the specific purpose of individual 
and community development and disaster relief. As an 
international nongovernmental organization (NGO), ADRA 
helps people without regard to age, ethnicity, or political or 
religious association. Additional information on ADRA's relief 
efforts in Kosovo crisis can be found on its web page at 
www.adra.org.