Additional food for refugees

Additional food for refugees

ATAMBUA, East Nusa Tenggara: Care International has supplied
additional food for 6,200 malnourished East Timorese children and
women in refugee camps in Atambua.

Herman Y. Watin, a staff member of Care International, said
here on Thursday that since January aid recipients had been
provided biscuits, vitamins, rice, mung bean, sugar and salt on a
daily basis.

The organization has taken the initiative to supply additional
food to children and women following the government's decision to
halt food aid to around 55,000 East Timorese refugees in the
province in April, he said.

"Such food is needed by babies, young children, their mothers
and pregnant women," Antara quoted him as saying.

He said his organization would also enhance its cooperation
with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to supply
food to the refugees.

However, he said his organization often encountered difficulty
in distributing the food because of personnel shortages and
limited funds to recruit locals to help carry out the charity
mission. (rms)