NEWS FROM
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
June 27, 2001
For more information contact Jonathan Frerichs at (410) 230-2802.
In this news release:
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LWR Aid Goes "Where There Is No Other Aid"
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Many Actions This Week in the Global Fight Against the AIDS Pandemic
LWR AID GOES "WHERE THERE IS NO OTHER AID"
Baltimore, June 27, 2001 - Mobilizing immediate response to last Saturday's earthquake in southern Peru is a priority for staff in LWR's Andean Regional Office, even though the emergency has already disappeared from the U.S. news headlines. With a magnitude now upgraded to 8.1 on the Richter scale, the quake took at least 50 lives and affected more than 12,350 families.
Assessment teams report that in some regions 60 - 100 percent of the housing is destroyed; schools and churches are crumbled; and irrigation systems and agricultural fields are buried by large rocks and debris.
Most families have lost their small animals like rabbits, ducks, chickens and turkeys that were a main source of protein. It's winter in Peru, making the situation even more serious for affected families.
"LWR aid will go where there is no other aid, targeting 10,300 people in the most isolated areas," said Pedro Veliz, LWR regional representative in the Andes.
A Peruvian, Veliz and his colleagues know the affected region well. They are familiar with the population and the terrain, located high in the Andes and some areas only accessible by horseback, even before the quake.
Veliz reports that LWR aid to survivors includes locally procured plastic sheeting and wood for temporary shelter; pots, plates, cups and water containers; and cots and blankets.
Long-term plans will focus on reconstruction of housing and rebuilding irrigation systems, which are critical to agricultural production and food security in the area. Outreach will also include training and the distribution of a manual for constructing earthquake resistant structures.
Because of its long-standing presence in the area, LWR's Andean Regional Office is serving as an implementing agency for Acton by Churches Together,an international church alliance. LWR also managed the El Niño emergency response in this area several years ago.
Read the current Peru Fact Sheet.
MANY ACTIONS THIS WEEK IN THE GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST THE AIDS PANDEMIC
Baltimore, June 27, 2001 - Lutheran World Relief welcomes a U.S. Trade Representative decision that will promote international cooperation on HIV/AIDS.
The decision, announced by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on June 25, creates a more effective forum for discussing the two countries' differences on international patent law affecting HIV/AIDS-related pharmaceuticals and will help Brazil in its efforts to make generic HIV/AIDS drugs more readily available to people living with the disease.
"This is an example of the importance of political will in the struggle to overcome the AIDS pandemic," noted LWR President Kathryn Wolford. The growing pressure of churches, non-governmental organizations and citizens' groups is making it more difficult for pharmaceutical companies to do 'business as usual' given the magnitude of the pandemic. International drug companies have begun to make significant price reductions in antiretroviral drugs, but control of patents is a major obstacle to the ability of nations like Brazil to produce and distribute generic drugs.
The U.S. Trade Representative's decision to withdraw its complaint is a major step in the right direction. The U.S. decision comes in the midst of a United Nations special session on AIDS.
The United Nations session on AIDS has further emphasized the importance of all nations to unite in global funding to finance the fight against HIV/AIDS. This is the first session devoted solely to a public health issue. The success of this program will hinge on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's ability to attract funding in the amount of $7 to $10 billion annually.
An estimated 34 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, some 25 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Over 12 million African children are AIDS orphans. This session of the United Nations points to the urgency and significance that must be given to this global problem.
On Tuesday, members of Bread for the World, including a large Lutheran delegation, made visits to members of Congress to push for an additional $1 billion in U.S. assistance for programs dealing with HIV/AIDS. Equipped with first hand reports from Lutheran World Relief and other organizations on the impact of AIDS and effective programs on the African continent, they sought stronger U.S. leadership and financial assistance.
