NEWS FROM
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
October 18, 2000
For more information contact Jonathan Frerichs at (410) 230-2802.
In this news release:
- Crisis Mode and Wariness Prevail at Palestinian Projects; Larger Worries Loom
- Alert for Ebola Outbreak, Uganda Aid Work Will Continue
CRISIS MODE AND WARINESS PREVAIL AT PALESTINIAN PROJECTS; LARGER WORRIES LOOM
Baltimore, October 18, 2000 -- Crisis mode prevails at medical, trauma and other Lutheran World Relief-related social service projects among Palestinians, with staff wary of events in the next few days and of deep rifts opened up by the conflict with Israeli forces.
Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem reports that it is now treating only half the patients it would normally have. Also, the hospital has only been able to reach its five village clinics in the West Bank twice since the unrest began early this month.
Staffers report that the first full day after the summit yesterday in Egypt saw a tightening, rather than a relaxation, of the border closures that Israeli authorities have imposed on Palestinians. Most patients in the West Bank remain cut off from the facility and even a hospital director, who has all the required special passes, took two hours to get through Israeli checkpoints today.
"Our surgical and clinical schedules are decimated by the closures," said Craig Kippels, the Lutheran World Federation representative at the LWF hospital. "But we have succeeded in getting passes for dialysis patients from the West Bank who have nowhere else to go. And we try to get through to the village clinics every morning, usually without success."
An LWR-supported rehabilitation center in Beit Sahour near Bethlehem has begun treating children traumatized by the violence. Using skills honed in earlier troubles, the YMCA center is counseling children and families in the neighborhood, contacting area teachers and media about trauma care, running a telephone hotline, and planning to help repair damaged homes. LWR has provided the YMCA center and Augusta Victoria, both longtime partners, with emergency funds of $15,000. LWR is also accepting donations for these efforts.
The crisis faces key events this weekend: How each side will follow up on promises made at the US-sponsored summit meeting, Friday prayers at mosques in the Old City of Jerusalem, and an unusual summit meeting of Arab leaders in Egypt, called in response to the crisis.
Meanwhile, church aid officials in the region are voicing concerns about rifts based on religious feelings.
"The fear is that this conflict is no longer just Israeli-versus-Palestinian but that it is becoming Jew-versus-Muslim," reports Daniel Chelliah, LWR's director for the Middle East. He returned this week from a meeting in Jordan of church organizations that serve Palestinian refugees in the region.
Staff is committed to maintaining long-standing health care, educational and human service work among refugees, Chelliah said. But coping with another wave of human suffering is not all that is at stake, they fear. Clashes over Jewish and Muslim holy sites have added a religious edge to the current conflict, causing grave concern among staff leaders who are Palestinian and other Arab Christians.
A pastor in Jordan has held youth meetings about peace, Chelliah said, but all staff-especially those from places like the West Bank and Gaza-are keenly aware that injustices linked to the current peace process are at the root of popular unrest.
"The violation of human rights, the adoption of apartheid, and the dissection of towns and villages from one another all contribute to a worsening of economic, health and educational conditions," the Middle East Council of Churches said in a statement after the meeting. The Council provides oversight for the refugee programs.
ALERT FOR EBOLA OUTBREAK, UGANDA AID WORK WILL CONTINUE
Baltimore, October 18, 2000 -- An outbreak of Ebola fever has caused an evacuation of aid workers from northern Uganda, but the Lutheran World Federation is continuing its refugee resettlement work there.
LWF offices are maintaining radio contact with each other and with health authorities in order to monitor the situation. Staffers report no cases in their work areas so far. They are helping to alert the public about the fever in an effort to stop the spread of the disease. At least 43 people have died from the fever, according to the BBC.
LWF is providing relief, resettlement and development aid to 56,000 residents of Adjumani district near the border with Sudan. The $6 million program, which benefits refugees and locals, is supported and monitored by Lutheran World Relief.
Ugandan health officials have formed a task force to fight the outbreak. Experts from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control have been sent to help, according to press reports.
