ARC, Land O'Lakes Form Coalition to Help Rebuild Afghanistan

American Refugee Committee
Monday, 29 April 2002

ARC challenges Minnesotans to raise $1 million. Minneapolis Mayor Rybak Declares "Afghan Refugee Day"

The American Refugee Committee announced today that it had formed a coalition with the International Development Division of Minnesota agricultural cooperative Land O'Lakes and three other groups to help the Afghan people rebuild their country.

The coalition will seek funding - including private donations -- for projects to improve health and nutrition, revitalize agricultural production and restore livelihoods in Afghanistan, which has been devastated by war and drought.

"We are very proud to join forces with a fellow Minnesota organization in such an important humanitarian venture," said ARC President Hugh Parmer. "Land O'Lakes' agricultural expertise will be a great asset as we work to give the Afghan people, who have endured so much, the tools to survive and become self-sufficient."

Parmer, who became ARC president on February 1, made the announcement at a reception in his honor. He called on other Minnesotans to join the effort to help Afghanistan. "The people of this state have helped victims of previous humanitarian crises enormously and I challenge them to open their hearts again.

"We call on Minnesotans to raise $1 million to help the victims of terror in Afghanistan and around the world."

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak declared today "Afghan Refugee Day," asking local citizens to take a moment to "think about the suffering of the Afghan people, and to recognize that we each have the power to make a difference in their health, well-being and future prosperity."

The coalition with Land O'Lakes (LOL) was set up in response to a call for proposals by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is funding "quick impact" projects to help rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure.

"Land O'Lakes members have supported assistance to struggling overseas agriculturalists for over 20 years," said Rolf Campbell, Director of Strategic Initiatives, New Business Development, in LOL's International Division.

"It's the right thing to do," Campbell said. "Raising prosperity in developing countries creates a tide that lifts all the boats…overseas and in the United States. This unique coalition is aligned to help rebuild Afghanistan by working together with Afghan-Americans."

The three other partners are:

- U.S.-Afghanistan Reconstruction Council (US-ARC), a coalition of more than 90 Afghan, Afghan-American and American professionals dedicated to reconstructing and developing Afghanistan's civil society.

- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), a nonprofit organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, that works to improve the productivity of smallholder livestock systems around the world.

- Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program (GL-CRSP), a USAID initiative that unites U.S. land-grant universities and international organizations in projects to increase food security and improve the quality of life in developing countries. It is administered by the University of California, Davis.

The coalition proposes to offer the following services:

ARC: maternal and child health care, TB treatment and other health services.

Land O'Lakes: livestock, feed, tool and seed distribution; home gardens; food aid; agriculture training; establishment of trade and women's groups.

US-ARC: staff recruitment; school reconstruction; literacy education; community-building; marketing aid.

ILRI: agricultural technical and research assistance;

GL-CRSP: agricultural technical and research assistance; university exchanges; development of the University of Kabul's animal health department.

Abdullah Sherzai, executive director of US-ARC, is now in Afghanistan to meet members of the interim Afghan administration, set up an office in Kabul and assess the needs and logistical requirements for coalition projects.

After more than 20 years of upheaval, about 3.5 million Afghans are refugees in Pakistan and Iran and about 1 million are displaced within Afghanistan. The coalition's projects will target both residents and returning refugees.

ARC is also seeking funding for two related programs: one to provide health care to Afghan refugees in Pakistan and another to perform health checks at repatriation centers for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Parmer noted that Minnesotans had provided a substantial amount of the $1.2 million that ARC raised to help refugees following the crisis in Kosovo. "Public grants can only go so far. We depend greatly on private funding to ensure that we can respond quickly to desperate human needs."

For more information, or to contact American Refugee Committee, see their website at: www.archq.org