CRISIS IN KOSOVO
Relief agencies say money is more needed than goods
By Louise D. Palmer, Globe Correspondent, 04/07/99
For the latest news and background on the conflict in Kosovo, see our special coverage in The Boston Globe's Boston.com.
Background
-Map of region (37K)
-Video, timeline
-Military hardware
-Chronology
-Key players
-Key documents
-Kosovo links
-Past US action
-Strikes Q&A
ASHINGTON - People called wanting to know if they could adopt children orphaned by the Balkan crisis. They wanted to know what size pants to send, how to conduct food drives, and whether their homes could be shelter to the refugees flooding across the Kosovo border.
All day, phone operators at Interaction, an organization helping the US government direct private donations to non-profit groups, say the outpouring of support by the American people was remarkable, with thousands of inquiries coming in.
Relief groups and the US government expressed appreciation for such offers, while also struggling to get across the message that what is most needed is not food, clothing or shelter, but cash.
''Please don't clean out your closet or attic'' with material ''we can't use,'' said J. Brian Atwood, who, as administrator of the US Agency for International Development, is coordinating the US government's response to the crisis. In the wake of Hurricane Mitch, aid groups were overwhelmed by second-hand products and food they could not use or transport.
Non-profits can not transport things like food or blankets from the United States quickly enough, explained Renee Bafalis, director of public affairs for Interaction.
''Ten dollars or even one dollar is a lot more helpful to groups working with refugees on the ground in Kosovo because they know exactly when and where the needs arise,'' she said.
After President Clinton mentioned that donors should call 1-800-USAID RELIEF during an address Monday, the phone lines were so swamped with calls, the United States Agency for International Development recruited the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help coordinate public efforts.
Having increased the number of phonelines and expanded the number operators to 160 working around the clock, Atwood said the lines should no longer be jammed.
Atwood and nonprofit relief groups attribute the ''tremendous response'' to the hotline number to the impact of televised images of hundreds of thousands of fleeing refugees.
Laura Gross, a spokeswoman for US AID, said the agency had not totaled the number of calls that are referred to the AID webside (www.info.usaid.gov) or to Interaction, both of which provide information on how to contact nonprofit aid groups receiving donations.
CARE International said it had received a total of $1.25 million in donations since Thursday, the bulk - $850,000 - from Pew Charitable Trusts and the William H. Gates Foundation. Like many non-profits, CARE is using the web to update people on their efforts in the Balkan region and as donation site.
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