Churches appeal for emergency relief

The non-governmental organization Action by Churches Together (ACT) appealed on Thursday for US $1.6 million to provide emergency relief to at least 30,000 Liberians internally displaced persons, the organization reported.

The revised appeal, ACT said, would support Lutheran World Federation and the World Service to provide shelter, water and sanitation, non-food and food items such as high protein foods to malnourished children, psychosocial counseling and create awareness for the prevention of sexual exploitation of 6,000 women and girl children.

The implementation period of the appeal would run from January 2002 to March 2003. The additional activities are planned for the period October 2002 to March 2003.

"Fighting between the security forces of the Liberian Government and dissidents in Lofa, Gbarpolu, Bomi, Cape Mount, and Bong Counties has once more created massive displacement of people. Around 130,000 persons have settled in 14 camps in the Western suburbs of Monrovia, in Bong, Kakata, Margibi, Grand Bassa, and Nimba counties," ACT said.

The majority of the displaced, the NGO said, were women and children in desperate need of relief assistance as the majority had lost all their belongings during multiple displacements from the fighting.

ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human needs through emergency response. Its coordinating office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. Over the last 12 years, it has carried out emergency and development assistance in eight of Liberia's 15 counties.

Details of the appeal and ACT's work