Family Care Foundation Newsletter:

Volume 4 -- No. 2 -- May 2000

Community Effort to Help Kosovo

By Jeff and Claire Wells, directors of Family Aid Project, Houston, Texas

Jeff Wells, director of Family Aid Project, with Albert from Kosovo and Albanian translator.

Since we threw our hat into the ring for the Kosovar refugees, so much has happened! As directors of Family Aid Project (FAP), we’ve been involved with assisting the Red Cross disaster relief, as well as making weekly deliveries of milk, food, and produce to area missions and ministries, including the Star of Hope Mission, the Bread Ministry, and the Children’s Activity Center here in Houston.

Although FAP has assisted in other humanitarian efforts to Haiti, Rwanda and Guatemala, this relief effort to Kosovo was our first big international project. The way we got involved in this project reminds me of a story I heard about a gentleman who lived in Rochester, New York. Now, the Genessee River runs through Rochester, between steep and crooked banks. This fellow had just returned from a business trip and was anxious to get home to his wife and children when he saw a group of excited men gathered on the bank of the river. “What’s the matter?” he shouted. They replied, “A boy’s in the water!” “Why don’t you save him?” he asked.

Isn’t that the usual initial reaction to disaster, need, and misfortune? “That’s just terrible! Why doesn’t someone do something to help them? Isn’t there some governmental agency that handles this?” Often, there is genuine concern, but we are so busy and overwhelmed by our own particular circumstances and our own pressing needs that we can’t bear the thought of having to take on what we perceive as someone else’s burden, especially when it is something happening on the other side of the world.

Draped coffins are an everyday tragedy in Kosovo.

When news of the mass exodus of refugees from Kosovo began to appear in the media, our hearts were touched, but, as many others, we felt, “What can we do? Our resources are so small. How can we help?” Just like the man in the story, our initial reaction was to expect that someone else would take care of it.

Back to our story... This man, without further hesitation, cast his briefcase aside, pulled off his coat, jumped into the river, grasped the boy in his arms, and struggled back to shore. As he wiped the water from the child’s dripping face and brushed back his hair, the man exclaimed, “Good Lord, this is my boy!” He had plunged into the water to save the boy of somebody else and saved his own son instead!

Isn’t that the way life really is? If we don’t make the time or effort to reach out to others, we miss the chance to do something meaningful that could literally save many lives.

The urgency of the Kosovo situation drove us to action. We began by contacting Lykes Lines who donated free shipping for nine forty-foot containers. We then spent the next months working with various Houston area businesses, friends, colleagues, and volunteers securing the containers and relief materials, and packing the shipment. This included three containers of nonperishable food, one container of bottled water, one container of medical equipment and supplies, one container of new mattresses and box springs, two containers of clothing and children’s teddy bears, plus another container of camping equipment.

Close to 400,000 pounds of materials were donated by individuals, schools, ministries, and various religious institutions. Local businesses also pitched in to make it a real community effort. Here are volunteers sorting and packing at McLean Cargo, a company in Houston, that generously donated the warehouse space to receive, organize, pack, and temporarily store the goods. In the end, nine 40-foot containers were filled to the brim.

An Italian aid organization, “Operati Emergenzia Radio,” volunteered to transport the materials into Kosovo for free. However due to the continued fighting and unrest in Kosovo itself, all of these containers ended up getting stuck at the ports in Italy.

Responding to our plea for help, Family Care Foundation covered the remaining sponsorship, allowing us to get these containers out of storage. We flew to Italy and after painstaking red tape and negotiations, and trips across the sea to Albania, the containers were delivered safely to Mitrovica, Kosovo. This city is the “hotspot” of Kosovo, with Serbs on one side of the bridge and Albanians on the other, where attacks on UN vehicles and personnel is still a common occurrence. A fellow at the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) told us that the two most dangerous places in Europe are the two bridges in Mitrovica. These supplies couldn’t have gone to a needier place!

This was a collective effort from beginning to end, with scores of individuals all playing an important part in the success of this project. Like the threads of a giant tapestry, each one was necessary to complete the pattern. This group of Houston school children learned concern for others, teamwork and the joy of giving by helping collect and pack boxes of much-needed items.

	L-R. Asim, Jeff, Francisco, Pearla, Daniel, and some of the NATO solders posing for a photo in front of one of the transport trucks during a brief stop halfway through the dangerous mountain pass between Albania and Kosovo, known as the Kurksy Trail. These Italian soldiers escorted our trucks for this part of the trip as vehicles are regularly targeted for robbery and violence. Our dear truck drivers were particularly appreciative of the military escort as they are the most familiar with the dangers here.
	Jeff Wells, project coordinator, at right, talks to one of the directors at the World Vision storage facility in Mitrovica, Kosovo who helped with free storage space. The trucks were unloaded here late at night, and then again the next day as there is a city-wide curfew in effect due to recurring violence between the ethnic Albanians and Serbs who each occupy a part of the city. This city is the only one in Kosovo with such a large Serb population, and as such is the focus of much tension and continued violence.
	Upon arrival at the storage facility in Mitrovica, Tim makes a thorough inventory of the precious cargo for delivery. Keeping track of the aid at each stage has been a vital part of the project to make sure it all reaches those it was intended for. On the box are handwritten notes of care and hope by school children in Texas who helped donate and pack these goods.
	A thankful look from a young Kosovar girl, as the first of our trucks arrive! Thanks to concerned individuals at every stage, many like this little girl not only have their basic necessities met, but they have also received new hope to carry on, despite the terrible war-torn conditions they are forced to live in. Can you help us help more like her?

Mayon Volcano Relief

FCF Project: Channel of Hope Foundation, Makati, Philippines

On Thursday, February 24, Mayon Volcano, located 315 km (215 miles) southeast of Manila, began to erupt, sending a huge cloud of ash into the sky.

Mayon volcano looming ominously above a nearby village.

By Saturday afternoon, our team of thirteen from Manila arrived at the government’s Operation Mt. Mayon Coordinating Center with two vehicles loaded with relief goods for some of the nearly 70,000 people who were forced to leave their homes in the danger area. Officials at the center said we were the first volunteer organization to come from Manila to help.

Our dedicated young volunteers packing up four hundred family-size bags of relief food for the victims of the Mayon Volcano eruption.

For the next week, the 2,500-meter-high volcano (over 8,000 ft) spewed lava and red-hot boulders the size of small houses. It also produced superheated ash clouds called pyroclastic flows. Though towns and farms were ravaged by ash, thankfully no deaths were directly attributed to the eruption.

At the relief center we packed and distributed over four hundred family-size bags of rice, sardines, dried noodles, and milk powder we had purchased the day before in Manila, thanks to the help of a longtime co-worker and supporter.

After putting in hours of exhausting work, our Mayon relief team takes a moment to pose together in front of the Disaster Operation Center.

We also distributed used clothing, straw mats, and leaflets with a message of comfort, and offered personal words of encouragement to as many as we could. Even the now-empty boxes we had brought the relief goods in were needed and appreciated. When our supply of straw mats ran out, evacuees flattened the boxes to have something to sleep on.

That night we made the twelve-hour trip back to Manila, exhausted but already planning our next relief trip back to the site.

Mozambique Floods

FCF Project: Accao Voluntaria em Mozambique (AVM), Maputo, Mozambique

If you followed the international news in late February and early March, you know the images: families perched in trees, sitting on rooftops—some having been there for as long as a week without food or drinking water—surrounded by muddy, disease-laden water as far as the eye could see, hoping against hope that they would be spotted by one of the few South African military rescue helicopters.

The low-lying regions of Mozambique have experienced the worst flooding in fifty years, and at the time of this writing, it’s not over yet! Even when the rain lets up, rivers continue to flow into this country from neighboring Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Malaria and cholera are spreading through the primitive overcrowded camps that have been set up for the nearly one million refugees. Most of the roads into the worst hit areas have either been washed away or are under water, greatly hindering relief operations. The country’s economy and infrastructure have been set back twenty-five years.

When a disaster like a flood strikes, fear and hopelessness can overwhelm the survivors. We concentrate on musical programs designed to lift people’s spirits.

We have an inspirational music program designed to lift people’s spirits during times of disaster. The day before our first show at one shelter—a factory that is now home to about three thousand people—we asked one of our friends if he could help meet some of the material needs of the children. He wanted to visit the center immediately, and on the way he stopped at a shop and bought 50 kg (110 lb) sacks of rice and beans, canned fish, soft drinks, and oil—actually, just about everything in the shop! Everyone at the shelter was extremely thankful.

The next day we arrived to do a second program to help bring some joy back into these dear children’s hearts. Five hundred children between the ages of two and fourteen were directed into the building where we would perform. About two hundred adults came to watch as well. We had poor lighting, little space, and no sound system, but everyone had a great time!

Many of our audience, from toddlers to stout matriarchs, joined in singing songs they knew. That’s one thing the people here always do, even when conditions could hardly be worse—they sing. The children also really enjoyed the funny antics of our two clowns. After the show we passed out snacks and school supplies.

A wonderful program to which 500 children came. We had poor lighting, little space, and no sound system, but everyone had a great time!

The government, the Red Cross, and various other organizations were working to meet people’s physical needs, so we concentrated on doing what we seem to do best—comforting and encouraging the people, and pointing them to God and His love so He can help them overcome their losses and present difficulties, and build bright new futures.

The Cry of Orissa

FCF Project: Family Services, Bangalore, India

After a cyclone hit the Indian state of Orissa, we challenged teenage volunteers in our project, as well as other parts of India, to participate in this relief effort, as a part of their training and outreach program. In order for an eleven-man team to be able to go to Orissa for twenty days, find accommodation, food, and drinking water, we needed 300-400 Rupees per person per day (this is approximately US $6-9). Through the contributions of concerned individuals and volunteers, we were able to make the trip. All the information needed was available from various agencies and we then teamed up with the Red Cross for our first trip to Orissa.

Here are excerpts from field reports written by young people who participated in this relief mission:

“As we approach the devastated region, I see the aftermath of the cyclone on a stretch of coconut grove. What was once beautiful Orissa, now lay in ruin. We hear the plea of these people, crying out for help, in need of food, shelter, and clothing. They want to rebuild, but they don’t know how or where to start. We go to the village, we walk in the paths that were once called streets, to feed, clothe, and warm as many of these in need as we can. The people cry out for help, for they have lost so much—husbands, wives children, houses, crops and yes, even hope.”

A great deal of work to be done, rebuilding ruined houses and broken lives. People are slowly getting back on their feet, having lost houses, cattle, crops, and even family members.

“We arrived in Orissa and found accommodation with the YMCA in the village of Cuttack. We divided the team into three, each one taking turns to make fieldtrips, as well as continue to work in the village. This area of Orissa was one of the worst affected by the cyclone. In some of these villages the sea threw waves of up to 15 feet high with wind velocities up to 350 kmh. One man said the wind blew for 26 hours and that it sounded like 50 helicopters overhead. Most of the large trees have been uprooted. All the big billboards and their support beams have been completely flattened to the ground. We started by distributing supplies in the village and we are working to build about 200 shelters as well as a school here in Cuttack. Each shelter cost about US $300. The YMCA is also taking all eleven of us to a village called Olatpur where they have a long-term rehab program.”

“We went with the Red Cross to distribute supplies to colleges in the affected areas. Most of the students had lost all their belongings, so giving out clothing and other needs was a very rewarding experience. We saw firsthand the magnitude of the destruction, which was quite awesome. People are slowly getting back on their feet, but most have lost houses, cattle, crops, and even family members. We went to as many of the affected areas as possible, and saw the various mass graves and heard the terrible tales of sadness and destruction. It was quite an experience. We didn’t return to camp until about 12:30 am.”

Working with the Indian Red Cross to distribute supplies to college students who had lost all of their belongings.

“Saturday we all moved to Olatpur village. We began work there and sent rotating teams out with the Red Cross. The next day we moved to yet another village. The YMCA identified 70 homeless families in this village and donated bricks, cement, sand, and other materials. This will allow us to help these families construct simple structures. It should take us three to four days per structure. The foreigners on our team are learning to communicate with the village folks in a simple sort of sign language. It means so much to these people to see us working with them side by side. We went on a fieldtrip to some areas in the Puri district. It was very helpful to be able to interact with the villagers and find out what they have been through, as well as see some of the destruction and how it is still affecting their lives. Our trip took us from 8 am till 10 pm. It broke our hearts to see the suffering and the hardships people are facing. It was a special experience to meet these people. They were humble, sweet and happy to meet us. One of the fishermen insisted that we have lunch with them. They had so little, yet they were willing to share what they had. Back at the village the rest of the team worked on building a school. Everyone felt very fulfilled. The following day a poor lady was very touched when we helped with the construction of a shelter for her. Then on the way into Bhubaneshwar a man from the village who spoke a little English approached us to say that he was very thankful that we had come all the way from Bangalore to help his village. We could see he was sincerely touched by our gestures. Next, we dug the foundation for one of the sites and moved some construction material to the various building areas. There’s a lot of work lined up for us to do. We’ve been counseling with the local YMCA about how to invest the funds we have for the people here. We made one trip with the Red Cross the day before yesterday and possibly have one more next week. Many of the people that we have been interacting with, both at the village and here at the YMCA, have been very sweet to us and appreciative that we’d come all the way here, not just to give material, but to actually work with them.”

A man from Bhubaneshwar approached us to say that he was very thankful that we had come all the way from Bangalore to help his village.

Drinking water was very scarce. Due to the shortage of clean water, cholera spread very quickly.

More on the Orissa Relief Mission:

The eyes of the world and even this nation have turned to other events and more recent disasters. But for the survivors of the November 29th, 1999 Cyclone, life may never be the same. Certainly for the team of three adult men and seven young men and teens who just returned from offering assistance in Orissa, it will never be the same. The experience brought a maturity and depth in our fifteen-year-old Joseph that we hadn’t seen before.

FCF volunteers rebuilding homes and shattered hopes.

The team went out not knowing what they could do to help, and with a small lead, the doors began to open. One village head, because of his status, had the only concrete building in his area. He wept while telling us they had saved 200 villagers in his home, which wasn’t much larger than a good-sized living room. At one facility approximately 2,000 people waited out the 26-hour nightmare. Amazingly two babies were born in the bathroom! The sound of the wind was so frightening that one boy said he thought it was the end of the world. Although the official death toll was only 10,000, the missing from their families range closer to 50,000. These people who had homes and businesses and communities with movie theaters, stores, and radio stations was reduced to rubble. Many lost all but their lives. There were so many dead bodies, they didn’t know what to do. The ground was still too wet to burn anything. So to solve the problem, everything was tossed into the mammoth holes created from the gigantic trees that were uprooted, then sand was heaped on mass graves. These heaps stand as monuments to the great loss.

Initially the reception to our team’s presence was cool from some: “Who are you? What good can you do when the problems are so vast? The need is too great!” —And truly it was an overwhelming situation! But the team started by listening to the local people, and soon their mission had become clear. As each little village was visited, the folks would pour out their stories and needs, and in turn, the villagers looked to them with such hope. By the end of the stay, the boys had inspired the countryside all around by their loving and hard-working sample. People they’d never met came out to their aid and poured out their profound gratitude for the help and care that had been shown to this coastal village area.

This man lost everything, his wife, daughter, and grandson to the storm. He clung to a tree that fateful day and watched his house and family being washed away. Along with it went all of his hopes. All he received from the government was Rs 3,500 ($750) as house building assistance.

During this trip, the team helped build six foundations with pillars (the roofs and walls will need to be added later). They hand-drilled eight 40-foot wells and installed hand pumps, reinforced several meters of river bank, resurfaced the road leading to one village, donated spray cans to four villages for aid in pest control, and distributed boxes of new clothing. We are planning another trip to help with a grandiose reforesting project and continue with the shelter projects.

On behalf of the Orissa team, we would like to ask for any help you may wish to offer to this cause. Your contributions would go towards making this relief effort possible. Please do join us in heart, spirit, and support to help us make a difference for those whose lives have been shattered by the cyclone.

Email: fcf@familycare.org
Copyright 1997-2007 by Family Care Foundation

Click here to donate a car, truck, RV or other vehicle, or boat, to further our charity work.