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Friday, June 17, 2011

ADRA Recommits Support on World Refugee Day

Friday, June 10, 2011

For more information, contact:

John Torres, Assistant Director of Public Relations
301.680.6357 (office)
301.680.6370 (fax)
John.Torres@adra.org

To donate to ADRA go to:
Online: www.adra.org
Phone: 1.800.424.ADRA (2372)

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ADRAi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/joinADRA


Photo Credit: ADRA International


SILVER SPRING, Md. - On June 20th, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) will be joining millions of people around the world who recognize and remember the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), by pledging continued support on World Refugee Day.

ADRA's humanitarian interventions have assisted hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs around the world, providing them with basic necessities such as food, water, clothing, and shelter to improve their living conditions. The agency also focuses on assisting those able to return home with reintegration projects that aid IDPs in reestablishing their lives.

ADRA is currently assisting refugees and IDPs in Cambodia, Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti, India, Liberia, Libya, and Myanmar.

In northern Cambodia, ADRA has been aiding families displaced by violent clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers, with clean drinking water. By drilling wells and distributing water filters throughout IDP communities, ADRA has brought clean live-saving water to nearly 3,000 families. Some of these wells are able to provide up to 2,110 gallons (approximately 8,000 liters) of water per hour.

ADRA has provided humanitarian assistance to more than 7,000 Ivorian refugees who have fled Côte d'Ivoire to Liberia after a series of deadly inter-ethnic clashes. ADRA has ensured thousands of families are supplied with essential non-food items (NFIs) such as buckets, water purification solutions, and bathing and washing soaps, which has helped to stem the spread of hygiene-related disease.

Since last year's deadly earthquake in Haiti, hundreds of IDPs who previously lived in dangerous makeshift shacks in the median of a heavily traveled road are now staying in shelters provided by ADRA, and funded by the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). Once in danger of being struck by oncoming traffic, these IDPs are now safely residing in a flat coastline shelter-community in Carrefour.

Since April 2011, more than 450,000 Libyans have fled to neighboring countries due to the volatile political crisis in Libya. Many have sought safety in Tunisia and have set camp not far from the Libyan border. ADRA has been on the ground distributing water, inspecting and assessing needs related to sanitation and food provision, and have been collaborating with other agencies to ensure proper healthcare is available to refugees.

Established by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone who, based on a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons including race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is living in a country outside of their nationality, and is unable or unwilling to request protection from their home country.

IDPs differ as they remain within their home countries, and usually have fled their homes due to natural disasters, violence, armed conflict, or violations of human rights. According to UNHCR, as of 2009 there were an estimated 27 million IDPs worldwide.

Since 2001, government officials, humanitarian aid workers, celebrities, civilians and those impacted by forcible displacement mark World Refugee Day with a series of events in more than 100 countries.

To contribute to ADRA's humanitarian efforts, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or give online at www.adra.org

Follow ADRA on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest information as it happens.

ADRA is a global non-governmental organization providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org

Author: Christina Zaiback, ADRA International
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