Barely surviving

The world is crammed full of people barely surviving rather than enjoying the creature comforts that most of us here take for granted. Hope and Aid Direct takes aid (not sides!) to those people who need it most and you'll have established that we take several trucks, every 6 months, to Kosovo. So, why Kosovo rather than one of the other Eastern European countries?

In 1998 Kosovo Albanians encountered horrific atrocities when Milosevic's army began its ethnic cleansing. Being less than 10 years ago many of the people still have vivid memories that will never leave them. As well as being on the minimum social payment of E40 per family per month, over 350,000 are not only worried about where the next meal is coming from but many are still haunted by the relatively recent sights of loved ones being murdered. How many women wonder where their husbands and sons went, never to return? Of course we help others living in Kosovo, too. Serb families, Roma families and any others all receive aid equally.

Since the war ended in 2000, the Kosovars look up to the US and UK as their saviours. Hope and Aid is the only UK charity to provide them with hope. We show them that we are doing our best to help them and care very much. Despite governmental hindrance, we manage to overcome the many obstacles encountered, plod on and give as many people as possible those little extras that helps make life more bearable. Giving the children shoes often makes it possible for them to walk to school, giving them school essentials like crayons and writing paper means that doesn't need to come out of the E40 a month food budget. At the moment, in spite of recent independence, there is just a glimmer of hope that companies will start to invest, alleviating some of the poverty, but this is a long way off.

Enclosed is a picture of a local school and local family whose daughter didn't go to school until Hope and aid came along. Please help us to help these underprivileged children. There is also a family of 8 living in one room of a derelict school house with no heating, constantly in fear of being evicted to somewhere worse.

I sometimes get asked why we don't encourage them to help themselves. Well, we do! We have some special projects on going but they are often not so easy to manage. If people live in apartments they have no land, but in the villages where they do have a little land we would encourage them to start growing their own vegetables and rear chickens. Anyone reading this with contacts, experience and time in this field would be very useful. Suggestions to Charles or the team leaders would be welcome. In fact if ANYONE has any ideas how to make life more bearable please let us know. Food prices are soaring but they still receive E40 a month, so the more they produce themselves the better life would be for them. It may not be viable for your idea to be implemented but we can talk it through - nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Kosovo is not news, but it is still desperate. PLEASE HELP!