Silver Spring, Maryland - Representatives
from each of the Peru office of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency's
(ADRA) major portfolio activities participated in the government's celebration
of World Health Day on April 7 in Lima, Peru. Organized by the Ministry
of Health for Peru, the event included representatives from the agencies
and organizations that develop health programs.
As part of its health programs in Peru,
ADRA is re-constructing 30 health centers destroyed during strong earthquakes
and aftershocks in June 2001. When completed, these centers will provide
health care to approximately 67,000 Peruvians.
Eleven of the re-built health centers will benefit 17,000 people living in the provinces of Tacna, Jorge Basadre, and Candarave. ADRA Peru is working on these centers in partnership with the regional health system and the national rehabilitation program. In Arequipa, Ayacucho, and Moquegua, ADRA is re-constructing 19 health facilities that will serve 50,000 people. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding both projects.
ADRA Peru had trained disaster response personnel on the first relief flight into the earthquake zone last June. Within a matter of hours, the ADRA network had allocated funds to be used for immediate needs. Water, temporary shelter, food, and clothing were provided to earthquake survivors in Moquegua. Other long-term development projects throughout Peru have focused on health, nutrition, children and teens living in high-risk conditions agriculture, infrastructure, forestation and reforestation, and food-for-work programs.
Bordered by Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and the Pacific Ocean, Peru is the third largest country in South America. It includes the high Andes Mountains and the tropical lowlands of the Amazon Basin. Only about three percent of the land is suitable for farming. Most of Peru's 27 million people live in the western part of the country.
Present in more than 125 nations, ADRA provides individual and community development and disaster relief without regard to age, ethnicity, or political or religious association.
Additional information about ADRA can be found on its web site at www.adra.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Norma J Sahlin
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Development Bureau
ADRA International
301-680-6355 (voice)
301-680-6370 (fax)
301-529-0500 (nationwide cell phone)
http://www.adra.org