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Breaking News from America's Progressive Community... Latest Releases
Making news? The press releases posted here have been provided to NewsCenter by the one of the many progressive organizations we have selected to participate . If you would like more information about this press release, you should contact the organization directly.
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| OCTOBER 16, 1998
10:52 AM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: American Friends Service Committee Carl Maugeri 215 241-7060 |
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| American Friends Service Committee Launches 'Kits For Kosovo' Program To Aid Displaced Children | ||||
| PHILADELPHIA, PA -
October 16 - The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is launching today a nationwide
campaign to help meet the needs of displaced people in the conflict between the Serbian
military and Albanian separatists in the former Yugoslavia. Thomas Moore, director of
AFSC's Emergency and Material Assistance Program, said that the "Kits for
Kosovo" campaign will focus on the health care needs of the refugees, especially
mothers and their children who constitute the majority of displaced people there. "The health care needs of this displaced population are urgent and acute" Moore said. "The conflict in the Balkans has had a terrible impact on innocent civilians, forcing more than 300,000 people to flee burning towns with few provisions." The kit's consist of: two cloth diapers and pins, one small bottle of children's vitamins, one bar of soap and one small stuffed toy. A $5.00 donation is also requested for shipping. Donations of kits and financial contributions can be sent to Kits for Kosovo, AFSC Emergency and Material Assistance Program , 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. The Kits for Kosovo project is joint effort between Emergency and Material Assistance Program and the East-West Program at AFSC, which link peace education and social justice activities in Eastern Europe and the US. The Kits project includes a major outreach to AFSC donors and supporters including Quaker schools and other organizations. "We are asking individuals and groups to assemble kits and make financial contributions to assist with this project," Moore said. Schoolchildren, religious groups and individuals are expected to participate in the campaign. AFSC will work with three local humanitarian groups to distribute the kits to the displaced victims of the conflict: the Mother Theresa Society, Mercy Corps and the Motrat Qriazi, a women's group based in Kosovo. Relief goods will be distributed without regard to the recipients' religion or nationality. Along with the kits, AFSC will use money raised through the project to purchase critical medicines and food for refugees and other groups in need within the region. Information packets now being distributed include two educational guides written to promote classroom discussion along with a list of ways people, including schoolchildren, can become involved in peace efforts aimed at helping victims of war in Kosovo. The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization which includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. ### |
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