Hundreds of Thousands of People Forced from Their Homes as Humanitarian Crisis Worsens
Contact:
Therese Gales; tel 800-875-7060; ThereseG@archq.org
Minneapolis, MN (June 18, 2010)- The American Refugee Committee today announced its plans to send a relief team to the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border, where hundreds of thousands of people affected by the worsening humanitarian crisis are seeking refuge.
The team will arrive this weekend and are being met by a local partner organization. They will assess the conditions on the ground, identifying the most critical needs of the more than 400,000 people who have been uprooted from their homes. These people are now in desperate need of food, water, medical care, shelter, and protection.
"We are very concerned about the people who have been forced from their homes," explained American Refugee Committee President Daniel Wordsworth. "Thousands of lives are at risk due to rapidly deteriorating health conditions and overcrowding in refugee camps. We are ready to help."
Violence erupted in southern Kyrgyzstan on June 10, and an estimated 400,000 people have been uprooted from their homes. More than 100,000 people have sought refuge in neighboring Uzbekistan. Reports indicate that this is one of Central Asia's worst humanitarian crises in recent decades.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN REFUGEE COMMITTEE: American Refugee Committee programs are built from the ground up. We work with people at the most vulnerable points in their lives, when they have lost everything to war or disaster. They let us know what they need most, and we work together to develop ways to help them get it. Our programs are as diverse as the people we serve, but they all work together for the same goal: to help people take back control of their lives. We help nearly 2.5 million people a year through programs around the world. For more information, visit www.ARCrelief.org.
