Story number 2 for 28 Jun 2001

(Congo)–Next, Air Serv International, in conjunction with the World Food Programme, has initiated a two-month airlift operation targeting 25-thousand people in the north of Katanga Province, southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The airlift will deliver food and desperately needed supplies into six war-ravaged locations. Air Serv’s Alan Graham. “They have large numbers of children who are starting to show the effects of severe malnutrition. We’re hauling in normal food supplies. Because of the war, they haven’t been able to plant crops, harvest crops, and so right now, it’s pretty dire. If we don’t do this, then the situation will only get worse.” The instability of the area is blamed for the shortages. Graham says the church continues to work to meet needs, however: “There have been some humanitarians that have been abducted, some who’ve been killed out there for no apparent reason, and it has caused a great deal of concern. Everybody who is working out there trying to bring hope to the suffering needs the prayer of the faithful.”