wfn.org | TUTU RECORDS KOSOVO RADIO SPOTS FOR NCC/CWS

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2227
Email:  news@ncccusa.org    Web:  www.ncccusa.org

80NCC7/7/99 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TUTU RECORDS KOSOVO RADIO SPOTS FOR CHURCH WORLD SERVICE

 NEW YORK - Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu
has given his voice to a new series of radio spots on Church
World Service response to the Kosovo crisis.  "I've seen
haunted eyes throughout my life," he says, "in my home
country of South Africa and even here in America after
devastating natural disasters.  But the eyes of those
fleeing from Kosovo cut me to the heart."

The 30- and 60-second spots emphasize the help even a
small contribution can mean in supplying tents to shield
children and families, infant formula to feed hungry
infants, medicines and medical care, clean bedding and
blankets, and reconciliation and rebuilding assistance
including micro-enterprise loans.

Church World Service, the humanitarian response
ministry of the National Council of Churches, expects its
region-wide response to reach $3.4 million by the end of the
summer.

Archbishop Tutu, now resident at Atlanta's Emory School
of Theology, has a long history of relationship with Church
World Service and the National Council of Churches, which
supported the struggle against apartheid with advocacy and
practical assistance.  He was keynote speaker at the Church
World Service 50th anniversary celebrations in Chicago in
November 1996, and will be prominent again at the NCC's 50th
anniversary celebrations in Cleveland, Ohio, this November.

 But the immediate catalyst for the radio spots was the
$1,000 donation he sent, without fanfare, to Church World
Service this spring for assistance to survivors of the
Kosovo crisis.  The Archbishop explained, "I've always
believed that people in need have a rightful claim on our
ability to help."

 For more information, contact Church World Service at
1-800-297-1516.

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