Posted by Lilly from ? (160.129.27.22) on Thursday, December 12, 2002 at 5:10PM :
Urgent Appeal - Please Donate Health Kits!
Middle East Crisis
Praying for Peace Relieving the Suffering
Download the PDF Version | Donation Appeal
Emergency and Material Assistance Program
For more than a decade AFSC has been involved in educational campaigns in the US as well as relief and peacemaking efforts in Iraq. The people of Iraq have suffered extreme hardship caused by the sanctions imposed on their country after the Gulf War. The present situation threatens to make their living conditions even more unbearable and as a result we can expect to see large numbers of internally displaced persons in Iraq as well as hundreds of thousands of refugees in neighboring countries. Recently, a Quaker/AFSC delegation visited Iraq. AFSC Iraq Program Associate, Peter Lems, who led the delegation, reports, "Iraqis have lost everything. The middle class has been depleted. There are many children who are unable to go to school. In many communities people cannot get clean water. People are dependant on the government's monthly food rations. There is a collective sense of fatigue from 12 years of sanctions. The impending war will make Iraqis' lives even more difficult."
Since June, 2002, AFSC in cooperation with other international aid agencies has been working on a contingency plan for Iraq. This resulted in the shipment of three 40 foot containers to Jordan. The containers are filled with health kits, school kits and blankets that will be distributed by the AFSC regional staff in cooperation with other international and local organizations. Moreover, AFSC's Emergency and Material Assistance Program (EMAP) has already released an initial grant from the Crisis Fund for the purpose of purchasing supplies locally for those in need.
Additional funds and material donations are needed urgently!
AFSC often cooperates with other organizations in our relief efforts. This is the case in Iraq. We are working with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to continue to provide water purification equipment to Iraq. And we are joining in their material relief by collecting the family-size kits described below.
In order to provide the same comfort to all the recipients and to meet the exacting licensing standards for shipments, please include ALL of the items listed and ONLY those items. Thank you for caring and sharing!
4 bars of soap
1 plastic bottle of shampoo (13 - 24 ounce size or 450 - 830 milliliters).
Place in plastic bag.
1 tube of toothpaste (minimum 8 ounces or 100 milliliters)
4 adult-size toothbrushes (leave in packaging)
1 hairbrush
1 wide-tooth comb
1 finger nail clipper
1 box of adhesive bandages (minimum 40, assorted preferred)
If possible, donors are encouraged to include $5.00 for each kit to help pay shipping costs. Do not send cash or personal notes in these kits. Please collect the money and write a check for the total amount - payable to:
Emergency and Material Assistance Program;
1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102-7283.
The hygiene kits can be sent to one of the following five collection centers.
The deadline for receiving kits is March 31, 2003.
AFSC
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102-7283
AFSC
5 Longfellow Park
Cambridge, MA 02138
AFSC
611 W. Main Street
Richmond, IN 47374
AFSC
606 E. Springfield Road
High Point, NC 27263
AFSC
65 Ninth Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-1401
Check www.afsc.org for updates on AFSC activities and delivery of the material donations.
-- Lilly
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