World Concern Relief Director Travels to Afghanistan

World Concern
Monday, 15 October 2001

SEATTLE – World Concern Relief Director Kelly Miller left Seatac Airport this morning bound for Northern Afghanistan and Tajikistan. There, he will join partners in planning an expansion of World Concern's ongoing relief response in the region. Discussions will involve logistics, distribution strategies and assessment of long-term needs.

Representatives of Northwest Medical Teams and Food For the Hungry, who are partnering with World Concern, will join Miller on the trip. The team will fly into Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where they will meet with representatives from other non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies working in the area. Though weather reports indicate limited travel, they then plan to helicopter to Rostaq, a town in Northern Afghanistan that is the main staging area for food distribution to surrounding villages.

World Concern has been delivering aid to Tajikistan and northern Afghanistan for almost four years. In the past year alone World Concern has sent over one million dollars worth of clothing and medical supplies from the northwest. Their relief effort involves distributing food, blankets and clothing to refugees and families in remote, mountainous areas. Winter stores must be delivered immediately to Afghan and Tajik families, as the severe winters in the area often shut down access to villages. An international response is crucial to prevent the mass starvation of innocent Afghan civilians.

Miller plans to be available by satellite phone for a limited number of media interviews on the trip. The trip will last one to two weeks, to be assessed in progress. To arrange an interview, please call Teri Johnson, media director for World Concern, at (206) 546-7386.

$35 feeds a family of five for a month. For more information on how to help, call (800) 755-5022 or go to www.worldconcern.org. Cash donations may be sent to World Concern, Afghan Refugee Relief Fund, 19303 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98133.

For more information, or to contact World Concern, see their website at: www.worldconcern.org