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WELCOME!
Press
release:
BAY
AREA INTERFAITH COALITION Provides immediate AID to
IRAQI CHILDREN
SAN
FRANCISCO – July 16, 2003 –
A committed group of Bay Area interfaith
organizations and congregations have joined forces
to bring aid to the children of Iraq – innocent
bystanders who have seen their young lives shaken
irreparably since the start of the U.S. military
operation in their country. The Organization for
Children of Iraq, which is spearheading the
campaign, believes its efforts will raise awareness
of the Iraqi children’s plight and encourage
Americans to donate their time, energy and money to
helping improve the children’s living conditions.
As
a result of the ongoing conflict in Iraq, an
overwhelming and growing amount of Iraqi children
have been injured, have lost one or both of their
parents, and are now homeless. In conjunction with
Interfaith Center at the Presidio, the Contra Costa
Interfaith Council, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship,
the Larson Family Foundation and several Bay Area
congregations, temples and mosques,
the Children of
Iraq Initiative intends to collect 10,000 health and
school kits to be distributed in Iraq as early as
the end of September 2003.
The kits, which contain
donated items such as soap, wash cloths, band-aids
–health and pencils, paper, rulers – school are
being assembled and donated by volunteers from
interfaith groups and congregations throughout the
Bay Area. The Kit Campaign began accepting donations
July 1, 2003, and the effort will culminate August
31, when several interfaith picnics are scheduled to
take place around the Bay Area including the main
event to be help at the Main Chapel at the Presidio
in San Francisco. Several non-profit organizations
will be represented along with leaders from the
Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim faiths. Local
children can take part in the assembly of the health
and school kits alongside Bay Area community leaders
in an effort symbolizing the notion of people
helping people regardless of beliefs.
“Although
the war was declared ‘over,’ countless Iraqis
are still displaced in its aftermath and have been
unable to restore their lives. We are committed to
seeing our efforts through until a time when the
Iraqi people can stand on their own feet, and their
children are no longer at risk,” said Initiative
Participant and Church World Service Chief
Development Officer Rev. Peter D. Crouch. “We
believe we can make a real difference by
coordinating the time, energy and resources of
caring individuals who may come from different
communities but share the same concern for helping
their fellow men and women in Iraq.”
For
more information about the Children of Iraq
Interfaith Picnic Event, to assemble health and
school kits or to make financial contributions to
other charities that are helping the people and
children of Iraq please
call 415-722-1161 or visit
www.ChurchWorldService.org.
is
an interfaith organization with long established
ties to Iraq. CWS has been delivering much needed
health and school supplies to the Iraqi peoples for
over 12 years. CWS is leading the program
nationwide and is making their organization,
resources and delivery system available in the Bay
Area to enable us to participate in their ongoing
national program.
Church
World Service's programs shipped $5 million worth of
supplies in 2003 to over 80 countries around the
world. CWS has been doing this for 57
years. It is one of the main services CWS provides
to congregations that are members of the 36
denominations that work cooperatively through Church
World Service. It is also CWS policy to work
independently, as much as possible, from using any
military personnel to ship our supplies as this
could put CWS international field staff and
international partners at risk. It is part of
CWS philosophy that humanitarian assistance needs to
be seen as independent from military action.
Learn
how you can help
donate CWS "Gift of the Heart" School and Health
Kits
"For
the children of Iraq" -
an
Interfaith response of Hope _____________________________________________________
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