PRESS RELEASE
KOSOVA HUMANITARIAN AID ORGANIZATION
khao.org
Phone: (714) 892-7283
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Assistance Critically Needed to Aid Ill Kosovars
March 28, 1999 --- Imagine a world where people suffering from brain
tumors, cancer, heart problems, leukemia, and other serious illnesses
remain uncared for and untreated. Children wither from strange
deficiencies and physical ailments brought on by psychological trauma.
For the Albanian men, women, and children of Kosova, this world is a
frightening reality. The Kosova Humanitarian Aid Organization (KHAO) is calling on all who are willing and able to help alleviate this suffering during these desperate times for the people of Kosova. KHAO is currently organizing an airlift in late March/ early April of fifteen to twenty seriously ill Kosovars, mostly children, to the United States for desperately needed medical treatment unavailable in Kosova or Albania.
The conditions these Kosovars are suffering from include brain tumors,
bone tumors, liver cancer, leukemia, heart problems, kidney dysfunction, breast cancer, unexplained deficiencies accompanied by loss of weight and muscle mass, and psychological trauma from Serb onslaught of villages and homes. The group's ages range from 2 years to the mid-50s.
Though KHAO has received a committed donation for the airfare, visa
applications and the tax to leave Albania, funds to cover the housing
and food expenses for this group (including escorts) are desperately
needed. Individuals, groups or clubs could agree to support one family for a period of time. The need for Albanian-speaking volunteers is also critical to provide translation and interpretation services.
The planned airlift will be a replica of one that took place in November 1998, in which twenty-four Kosova refugees and Albanian nationals were flown to the United States for medical treatment. The lift included children requiring major open heart and brain surgery that would save their lives. Members of this group received the needed surgeries, food and housing as charity. The operations were a huge success and they are finally returning to a normal life.
With enough support, KHAO can achieve an even greater success with the
March airlift. It is their goal to bring the entire group of ill
Albanians to the United States for treatment. For many of the above,
they are not sure that they will last past another month. Before help
was offered, these Albanians had lost all hope in getting cured and were ready to go back home to die.
KHAO was founded last year in Southern California to aid the suffering
Albanians of Kosova during their ongoing struggle under Serbian
domination. KHAO believes that we are witnessing another holocaust,
despite modern times. Terrible crimes of mass killings, rapes and
torture of women, children and the elderly are currently taking place in Kosova.
Among other projects, KHAO is coordinating efforts with the University
of Missouri to initiate a program to help psychologically traumatized
Albanians. This program would include deploying professionals in this
field to Albania and Kosova (if safety permits) to train others in
handling these cases so healing can begin. The contact at the
university was very successful with a similar program in Bosnia.
KHAO has also started a clinic in Tirana to serve Albanian Kosovar women and children, which will be funded by donations generated from
fund-raising efforts with others around the world. The clinic will also serve as a learning center for the Kosovar children. A supply of fifteen computers has been committed to their efforts. The children will have a schedule in which access to these computers will be administered. The technology also will help the clinic communicate efficiently with other medical facilities inside Kosova, Albania, neighboring countries and their main offices in California.
To compliment these efforts, they are working on a program for new and
young mothers. A supply of breast pumps and other essentials have been provided by Medela, Inc., a leading breast feeding supply company. A training program is currently being organized, which will help to teach the mothers how to best feed their infants and allow them to have reserves needed for their survival during this difficult time when most are living in cold and dangerous mountains.
Thousands of refugees are fleeing from Kosova to the neighboring
countries of Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia with barely more than the clothes on their backs. They survive off the generosity of others. Amass food drive of flour, wheat, rice, beans, lentils, pastas, canned goods, sugar, and oil is crucial.
Additionally, KHAO is preparing a shipment of clothes, medical supplies (including surgical supplies) and children's necessities. They anticipate shipping the supplies by the end of March or early April. This type of shipment was successfully delivered in December 1998.
They are asking anyone with the capability to help in any way, to
contact them. Their continuing effort to assist the Kosovars during this crisis critically relies on this support. KHAO would appreciate if those with knowledge or contacts that could help to find treatment for the medical cases mentioned above, would contact them immediately. Time is of a critical essence to save their lives.
Kosova Humanitarian Aid Organization ( khao.org )
Main Office:
E-mail: kosova@jps.net
P.O. Box 37, Midway City, California 92655-9998 - USA
Phone: (714) 892-7283
Fax: (714) 898-0740
Texas Office:
Phone: (915) 643-3063 |
