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International aid agency one of last to leave Dili will likely be one of first back in, following Habibie decision to allow international peacekeepers
With the announcement Sunday by Indonesian President B.J. Habibie allowing international peacekeepers into East Timor, it is likely that international aid organizations – such as World Vision - will soon be allowed into the embattled territory.
Al Dwyer of World Vision, who escaped from Dili last week with Nobel Prize Laureate Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, is in Jakarta and is planning the agency’s return to East Timor. Mr. Dwyer, a native of New York State, is available by phone between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) Monday, September 13, for interviews about the situation and conditions aid agencies are likely to be facing upon their return to East Timor.
World Vision is responsible for helping about 2,000 refugee families in the West Timor city of Atabura. In addition, the aid agency has stockpiled in Darwin, Australia, relief items including blankets, plastic sheeting, cooking utensils and medicines for 20,000 people, and has a team of aid workers on 24-hour notice ready to return to East Timor.
Donations to World Vision’s East Timor relief efforts can be made by calling toll-free 1-888-56CHILD (1-888-562-4453)
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Media Contacts:
Sheryl Watkins, (253) 815-2246 (office); or (206) 918-8505 (pager)
Kathleen Brown, (202) 608-1842 (office). or (202) 607-3739 (cellular)
World Vision is the largest, privately funded Christian humanitarian aid agency in the world, serving more than 70 million people annually in nearly 100 countries.
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