From: dmorse@igc.apc.org (Dorothy Morse)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: 'Word' on Somalia
Date: 18 Nov 92 02:54:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1471700259:000:3786
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!dmorse    Nov 17 18:54:00 1992


From: Dorothy Morse <dmorse>
Subject: 'Word' on Somalia

/* Written  6:42 pm  Nov 17, 1992 by AFRICA-L@VTVM2.apc.org in igc:bitl.africa */
/* ---------- "'Word' on Somalia" ---------- */
Reply-To: "FORUM PAN-AFRICA (Peer Distribution List)"              <AFRICA-L@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU>
From: Dorothy Morse <dmorse>
Subject:      'Word' on Somalia

Three quick news items that are, in the dire circumstances, cheering:

1.  The Somalia Relief Association people sent two representatives to
"Abilene Helps Somalia Day" Saturday.  Abukar Arman of SRA said the
day was 'fantastic'--however, Chelagoi, who had been extremely excited
about it all, was called away Saturday for some other important matter.
This appears to be why he hasn't posted about it yet.  There was \
a picture on the front page of the Abilene paper Sunday of an African
dancer--from Kenya--extremely attractive.  But I haven't seen any other
media coverage yet.  Abukar said they were "in the center of the flow"
in front of JC Penney's in the Mall of Abilene.  Chelagoi will tell us
more when he returns.

2.  For those who ordered copies of the SRA videotape, these should be sent
fairly soon. (SRA has, like the rest of us, lots of tasks, little time.) They
had one copy of the videotape they took to Abilene, and left it with the
people there for the December 1 TASTE OF AFRICA fundraiser.

3.  The Somalia Relief Association also went to Dallas recently, for another
fundraising dinner for Somalia in the Islamic Community.  This raised
$32,000 in pledges.  The SRA says the $50,000 in pledges they received from
 their
their Houston dinner has now all been received.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  The SRA sent a representative to a Somalian refugee camp in
Kenya to see for themselves which aid agencies were helping.  Shamsa Ali
of SRA is going to send me the fact sheet this man compiled.  He said
some of the agencies were "fictions" and he had very harsh words for one
of them, which he said was hiding behind barbed wire and very hard to contact
(even though the contact was for the purpose of discussing giving them money!)
Anyway, the bottom line is, this man had high praise for the International
Red Cross and Oxfam.  He said Oxfam is digging wells and getting pure water,
very important because of disease problems with impure water.  Oxfam
is not in the emergency feeding business, however, and operates in the
relatively peaceful Northern Somalia.  (NOTE WITHIN NOTE:  Oxfam sent
me some information recently saying they had taken the extraordinary step
of giving a grant to the Red Cross of $100,000 to feed people, because
the Red Cross was set up to do it and actually getting it done.  I think
this speaks well for both Oxfam and the Red Cross.)

A last note:  folks in Wisconsin are working hard for Somalian aid.  Lots
of us have seen Jeff Cochrane's posts and news articles.  There is also
a woman in McFarland, WI, named Angie Hougas who turns out enormous
numbers of letters to everyone who can possibly have a positive influence
on Somalian affairs.  She's writing the UN missions now, and Senator\
Byron Dorgan.  Sometimes I get notes from her saying, "I sent off 14
letters."

What's delightful is that she has a young son and a job, too.  I hope
other people will join in and write to the UN ambassadors (asking
for more decisive peacekeeping, and for a public inquiry into why the
UN has been so slow in getting aid and protection to Somalia.)  These
communications from the general public to people in power and to the
media are essential.  If we fall silent, or just discuss things among
ourselves, the media will go back to saying "People don't care about
starvation in Africa."

I hope Angie will be posting here soon herself, also--Jane Bires got
her on Internet and she is learning her way around.