Press Contact: Shanta Bryant, 202-667-8227
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NGO Contacts: James Bishop, Director of Humanitarian Response, 202-667-8227,
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The following list was produced by InterAction,
a coalition of more than 160 US-based private relief, development and refugee
assistance agencies. InterAction members have agreed to abide by a set
of standards to ensure accountability to donors, professional competence
and quality of service.
An estimated 250,000 people have fled the bombing in Chechnya into neighboring republics. Some 230,000 have sought refuge in Ingushetia alone. Tens of thousands of people are believed to be trapped in Grozny and other areas under heavy Russian bombardment. The victims of the bombing are in need of food, tents, blankets and other winterized humanitarian aid.
InterAction members listed below are accepting contributions for assistance they or their affiliates are providing to victims of the crisis in Chechnya. Visit the following links for further information:
- Details on current assistance being provided by InterAction members
- Reliefweb wwwnotes.reliefweb.int for up-to-date information on Chechnya
- InterAction's Guide to Appropriate Giving and Donations.
American
Friends Service Committee
Chechnya Emergency Fund
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Tel: 1-888-588-2372 ext 1
www.afsc.org
Mercy Corps International
Chechen Relief Fund, Dept. NR
P.O. Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669
1-800-292-3355 x250
www.mercycorps.org
American Red Cross
International Response Fund
PO BOX 37243
Washington, D.C. 20013
Tel: 1-800-HELP-NOW
Spanish: 1-800-257-7575
www.redcross.org/news
Relief International
"Orphans of Chechnya"
11965 Venice Blvd., #405
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Tel: 1-888-778-7452
www.ri.org
Baptist World Aid
Chechnya Relief
6733 Curran Street
McLean, VA, 22101
Tel: 703 790 8980
www.bwanet.org/bwaid/
The Salvation Army World Service Office
(SAWSO)
Chechnya FundP.O. Box 269
Alexandria, VA 22313
703-684-5528
Church World Service (CWS)
28606 Phillips Street
PO Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
Tel: 1-800-297-1516 ext. 222
www.churchworldservice.org
USA for UNHCR
Chechnya Relief
775 K Street, NW, Suite 290
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: 1-800-770-1100
www.usaforunhcr.org
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Chechnya Emergency Response
122 East 42nd Street
New York, New York 10168-1289
Tel: (212) 551-3000
www.intrescom.org
World Vision
PO Box 70288
Takoma, WA 98481
Tel: 1-888-56CHILD (1-888-562-4453)
www.worldvision.org
Lutheran World Relief
POB 17061
Baltimore MD 21298-9832
1-800-597-5972
www.lwr.org
Details on assistance being provided by InterAction members
AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE
(updated December 9, 1999)
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is accepting financial contributions
to fund emergency humanitarian relief in war-torn Chechnya. The funds will
be used to purchase food, medicine and hygiene items and also for rehabilitation
and reconciliation work. AFSC's involvement in the region started with
famine relief in the early part of the century and continued with dialogue
programs throughout the Cold War period. In addition to humanitarian assistance,
AFSC funds will also support a psychological rehabilitation program for
children in Ingushetia and respond to other needs as they arise.
AMERICAN RED CROSS
(updated December 9, 1999)
The Red Cross Movement has issued an Integrated Plan of Action in response
to the thousands of people affected by the conflict in Chechnya. The request
is for $12 million US dollars of which the American Red Cross has contributed
over $800,000. The Plan of Action is to distribute aid to approximately
150,000 victims of this crisis in the northern Caucasus from November 1999
through March 2000.
American Red Cross support to Chechnya now totals more than $827,000. The American Red Cross is operating within the three components of the RC Movement which currently has a team of five delegates to coordinate operations from the ICRC's logistics center in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria, and from its delegation in Moscow. In the northern Caucasus, activities will be conducted with the Russian Red Cross and through ICRC staff stationed throughout the region. At the onset of the conflict, the American Red Cross responded by sending $75,000 to provide winter clothing to a minimum 3,000 of the most vulnerable internally displaced persons in the North Caucasus region of Ingushetia. This project, implemented by the Russian Red Cross, allowed the local Red Cross to render much-needed assistance to a vulnerable population while also improving the visibility of the Russian Red Cross Society as an independent organization, thereby improving its status and image within the community. An additional $100,000 was sent to the ICRC to assist with emergency relief efforts including the purchase of 15,000 food parcels containing vegetable oil, sugar, pasta and green tea. The American Red Cross is also supporting the operation with 80,000 blankets (22,000 of which were donated to American Red Cross by the Church of Latter Day Saints), 20,500 jerry cans, 41,200 hygienic parcels which include soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, bath and kitchen towels and liquid detergent. USG has supported AmCross with emergency relief in-kind items and transportation.
BAPTIST WORLD AID
(updated December 10, 1999)
Baptist World Aid has been supporting Hungarian Baptist Aid in their work
with Chechan refugees. BWAid has provided funds to pay for transportation
of goods and is also working with another US agency to send a container
of new winter clothes to Budapest for onward transmission to the Chechnya
border.
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
(updated December 9, 1999)
Church World Service is seeking $125,000 to assist Action by Churches Together
(ACT) in meeting emergency needs in the Chechnya region with blankets,
food items, medical aid, sanitation supplies, shelter, and trauma counseling.
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE (IRC)
(updated December 10, 1999)
The International Rescue Committee currently has an Emergency Response
assessment team in the region. IRC is looking at the possible provision
of water and sanitation projects, education and psycho-social activities
as well as assisting host families who are sheltering the refugees. IRC
is currently assessing capacities of local partners in order to support
the existing local NGO structure in Ingushetia and eventually Chechnya.
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
(updated December 10, 1999)
Lutheran World Relief is and has been responding to crisis needs in Chechnya
since 1995 and is accepting contributions to assist those in need. The
latest shipment of LWR material resources, including warm quilts, is being
distributed by Hungarian Interchurch Aid in Chechnya.
MERCY CORPS
(updated December 9, 1999)
Mercy Corps recently conducted a needs assessment in and around Ingushetia's
capital city of Nazran, including the area between Nazran and the Chechen
border which is heavily settled by refugees from Chechnya. The team provided
emergency relief to approximately 1,000 "under-12" children and
infants -- primarily clothing, blankets and medicine. Mercy Corps hired
three national staff members who will continue to assess the situation
and provide emergency assistance as needed.
RELIEF INTERNATIONAL (RI)
(updated December 9, 1999)
Relief International has been supporting an orphanage in Grozny in the
past few years since it started programs in Grozny in response to the 94-96
war in Chechnya. Initially RI helped repair damages to the orphanage and
provided food, clothing and sanitary supplies for the 250 children ages
6-17. Currently the children have been moved to Nazran in Ingushetia and
are in need of food and other basic supplies. RI is providing an aid mission
to the children in the form of food, clothing, sanitary supplies and heating.
THE SALVATION ARMY WORLD SERVICE
(updated December 10, 1999)
The Salvation Army has been feeding Chechen refugees in Ingushetia and
North Ossetia for the last month. An assessment has just been completed
by an international team and Salvation Army is doing or plans to do the
following:
1) operate a mobile health care clinic to provide preventative and curative
health interventions;
2) provide 8 containers of winter clothing and boots;
3) provide basic supplies such as stoves and cooking utensils;
3) conduct supplemental feeding for children and nursing mothers;
4) provide bread and basic food items not provided by other organizations.
USA FOR UNHCR
(updated December 9, 199)
USA for UNHCR will channel collected funds to UNHCR. UNHCR is presently
providing relief to victims of the Chechen conflict, through its local
staff in Stavropol. The assistance consists of food, tens, blankets, wood
stoves and other winter supplies. Distribution has been primarily to individuals
who have reached Ingushetia, as well as North Ossetia and Dagestan.
WORLD VISION
(updated December 10, 1999)
World Vision has facilitated the distribution of emergency relief supplies
through their partner agency the Ingush Red Crescent. To date, food kits
have been delivered to 2,000 people. Shoes have been distributed to 500
children. The shoes were bought in Ingushetia and nearby Russian republics.
A team of 12 people are working to distribute the relief goods. Five of
these are doctors who are working at a medical center, providing urgently
needed medicine and medical checkups. The most urgently needed medicines
are for diarrhea and pain-killers, also foot cream to treat frost-bite
and vitamins. Trauma counseling in the camps has started. A team of 4 people
is providing counseling for mothers and children.