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Date: February 12, 2003 Afghan refugee children have said, "Thank you!" for UMCOR school kits they received. (Click here to see the kids' letters.) They attend the Nazoo Anna Education Center for Afghan Refugee Children in Peshawar, Pakistan. The over 700 students who go to this co-educational school have many needs. For example, the families of most of the refugee children cannot afford to buy basic supplies, such as pencils and notebooks. In fall of 2001, the Virginia Annual Conference contacted UMCOR because they were concerned about the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. They wanted to "do something," particularly for children. About the same time, the Nazoo Anna Education Center had asked the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) for assistance. UMCOR helped to bring the two groups together. The result was a fantastic response by United Methodists in Virginia Annual Conference, who put together over 40,000 school kits to help address the children's dire educational needs. The school kits were successfully distributed not only to the Nazoo Anna School in Peshawar, but also to a new school they are founding in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. UMCOR's partner agency Church World Service (CWS) agreed to handle the shipping and distribution of kits through their office in Pakistan. Surplus kits went to CWS education programs in Pakistan and Afghanistan. |
UMCOR school kits feature colorful homemade bags that hold pencils, paper, and other supplies. Click here to see the kids' thank you letters. |
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Assembling school kits can be an exciting mission project for groups in your church. The homemade fabric bags that hold the supplies make each kit unique and personal. Information about the contents of school kits and a pattern for school kits bags are on UMCOR's Emergency Kits page.
Click here to see and read the kids' thank you letters.
Photos: Courtesy of Nazoo Anna Education Center, Peshawar, Pakistan.
| Love in the Midst of Tragedy #901125 Afghanistan Response - U.S.A. Response - Help |
