Story number 1 for 18 May 2001

(Afghanistan)–Topping the news, the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues to grow. Relief agencies now say the US is responding in kind, on the heels of a report from a famine expert who called the emergency “apocalyptic”. Food For the Hungry’s Matt Panos says they’re also concerned. “There are upwards of one and a half million people that are on the edge of starvation-that, if they don’t start receiving food, if they don’t start receiving help from the outside, it could move into a famine situation. We’re in the mode of evaluating our intervention there.” Panos says the weight of disaster weighs heavy on the government’s shoulders, which could open the door for Christian work. He asks believers to get involved. “Pray for the change of the hearts and the minds of the leadership there, and the government officials to allow the relief agencies to come in and help…and also pray that we’ll receive funds in order to get enough people there to help and to bring in the materials to help people with housing, provide drinking water and, of course, food stuffs.”