American Refugee Committee Partnering with Liberian Carpenters to Build Emergency Shelters for Refugee Families

April 5, 2011— The humanitarian crisis following post-presidential election violence in the Ivory Coast continues to worsen.   Fighting has forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.  Nearly 100,000 people have fled to neighboring Liberia.

“Refugees have walked for days to find safety in Liberia—and have arrived with nothing but the clothes in their backs.” said Daniel Wordsworth, President of the American Refugee Committee. “Liberian host communities have been heroic in helping their neighbors from Ivory Coast.  But people are in desperate need of food and shelter, and the situation is dire.”

American Refugee Committee teams are building hundreds of emergency shelters to house refugees in Nimba County, Liberia—which borders the Ivory Coast.  ARC is also training additional Liberian carpenters living in villages in the affected area, so they can speed up shelter construction activities.

“We’re seeing the human impact of the election stalemate, and the conditions remain very volatile,” added Wordsworth.  “We will continue to work with the people of Liberia to help save lives.”

The American Refugee Committee teams have been responding to the Ivorian crisis in Liberia since December.

Press contact: Therese Gales at (612) 221-5161 or (612) 607-6494

ABOUT THE AMERICAN REFUGEE COMMITTEE:

American Refugee Committee programs are built from the ground up.  We work with people at the most vulnerable points in their lives, when they have lost everything to war or disaster.  They let us know what they need most, and we work together to develop ways to help them get it.  Our programs are as diverse as the people we serve, but they all work together for the same goal:  to help people take back control of their lives.  We help nearly 2.5 million people a year through programs around the world.  We are based in Minneapolis, MN.

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To donate to the American Refugee Committee, you can make a donation online,  call 800-875-7060 or write to:

American Refugee Committee
430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 204
Minneapolis, MN 55403