MCC provides aid for earthquake survivors in Peru
By Tim Shenk
August 24, 2007
AKRON, Pa. – Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is providing blankets and canned meat worth $215,000 U.S., or $229,000 Cdn., to survivors of an Aug. 15 earthquake in the central coastal region of Peru.
The magnitude 8.0 earthquake toppled many buildings in the Peruvian state of Ica, killing hundreds of people and leaving thousands homeless. MCC's aid will be distributed in Ica by a Catholic organization, the Salesian Missions.
Luis Enrique Lazo, a spokesman for the Salesian Missions, said that the Peruvian government is having difficulty providing aid to everyone affected by the earthquake.
"All the blankets and the meat that MCC is providing will be taken to these remote areas that the government is having a hard time to reach," Lazo said.
MCC's shipment will provide about 35,000 pounds of canned turkey and 10,000 blankets to people affected by the earthquake. The Salesian Missions are transporting the aid to Peru from MCC's Material Resource Center in Ephrata, Pa., and MCC is paying for half of the shipping costs.
An audio interview with Luis Enrique Lazo is available at
mcc.org/podcasts
.
Tim Shenk is a writer for Mennonite Central Committee.
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