[UMNS-ALL-NEWS] UMNS# 340-UMCOR coordinates supplies for Georgia

[NewsDesk]

UMCOR coordinates supplies for Georgia  

Aug. 13, 2008     

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org. 

By Michelle Scott* 

NEW YORK (UMNS)-The United Methodist Committee on Relief is coordinating
medicines and medical supplies being provided through U.S.
government-sponsored emergency airlifts to the conflict zone in the
former Soviet republic of Georgia.

The South Caucasus nation has been fighting with Russia over the
contested region of South Ossetia since Aug. 7. A cease-fire agreement,
reached on Aug. 12 and brokered by France, apparently was not holding
the next day, according to news reports.

As a member of the United Nations Health and Nutrition Coordination
group, UMCOR Georgia is heavily involved in organizing and distributing
supplies. UMCOR also is providing health kits to displaced people and
assisting local hospitals by distributing medical supplies housed in its
Tbilisi warehouse.  

South Ossetia is a long-conflicted region along Georgia's border with
Russia. While UMCOR has no current projects in South Ossetia, UMCOR's
agriculture program operates in the province of Shida Kartli along the
southern border of South Ossetia.

The World Council of Churches and Conference of European Churches issued
a statement calling for prayers and assistance for those affected by the
conflict in the Caucasus. The statement affirmed the interventions of
the Russian Orthodox Church, the Georgian Orthodox Church and the
Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, all of which have called for a
cease-fire, a negotiated solution to the conflict and urgent relief for
those affected. 

Escalating crisis 

George Gedevanishvili, head of office for UMCOR Georgia, is working with
agency staff to provide assistance while also keeping personnel safe.
Some of UMCOR's operations near the conflict zone have been halted,
while work continues in areas unaffected by the violence.

"Our team was profoundly disturbed by the escalating crisis and the
impact on the civilian population," said Thomas Dwyer, UMCOR's director
of operations for its non-governmental organization, about the
changeable environment in Georgia. "Responding to immediate needs in the
first days of an emergency such as this requires a great deal of
flexibility."

UMCOR's staff in Georgia is actively engaged in these activities, which
include addressing immediate localized needs as well as conducting
comprehensive assessments to map out a broader response in the days
ahead.  

"Our current hope is for the cessation of hostilities to be permanent to
allow for addressing the emergent civilian needs," Dwyer said.

UMCOR staff at the New York headquarters has been in close contact with
the office in Tbilisi to provide support and assistance in response to
the conflict.

The agency began its humanitarian operations in Georgia in 1993 to
address the basic health needs of women and children. Since then, UMCOR
has added agriculture and reconstruction to its work throughout the
country.

Donations to support UMCOR's work in Georgia, including its response to
the conflict, can be made by giving to Georgia Emergency, UMCOR Advance
#250305. Checks can be mailed to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY
10087. Write the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check.
Online donations can be made at
http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?code=250305
<http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?code=250305&id=
3018670> &id=3018670

*Scott is the director of communications for the United Methodist
Committee on Relief. 

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or
newsdesk at umcom.org. 

******************** 

United Methodist News Service 
Photos and stories also available at: 
http://umns.umc.org 




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