Will Some
of Our Refugees Freeze to Death this Winter?
October 3, 2003
Cold
Weather Already Closing In
Every year,
refugees and homeless people in China freeze to death.
Without access
to proper shelter or warm clothing they face difficult days and
even harder nights unprotected from the harsh weather. This is
a particular problem in northern China, where many North Korean
refugees go to hide.
When
this 13 year old boy was arrested, the guards took his shoes away.
That night, The temperature dropped to -20 Centigrade (-4 F), and
he lost all ten toes to frostbite.
The North
Korean refugees currently under our protection have no resources.
Without the money to buy their own clothes, they face an uncertain
future in the hard weather ahead.
We supply
the refugees with Chinese clothes so that the police cannot identify
them by their North Korean garments.
Since funds are scarce, many
are still wearing the lightweight summer clothes we provided them
earlier this year.
They very
well may freeze to death between now and next spring. The bitter
cold is already setting in.
This
is a typical shelter where refugees from North Korea hide from
Chinese authorities. The hut accommodates 4 to 5 people. Our group
(LFNKR) supplied the plastic sheets.
Our organization
faces the task of supplying 300 sets of winter clothing for these
people, but we have a problem. LFNKR is not a large group, and
we, unlike nearly every other NGO, have no political or religious
affiliations.
This independence
from other groups allows us the freedom to set our policies without
being swayed by outside interests.
But this same
independence means that we cannot draw upon the resources of a
parent organization. All money we spend on the refugees comes
from the pockets of our own members, or donations from private
parties.
This year,
for the first time, we are inviting donations from our friends
around the world to help us fulfill this mission.
Because if
we do not, some of our refugees may not be alive next spring.
One set of
winter clothing costs an average of $22 (US). That includes boots
and heavy outer garments that can protect from temperatures that
drop to as low as -20 to -35 Centigrade (-4 to -31 F). There is
no luxury here, no second set, or change of clothing. No dress-up
clothes. It is purely survival.
Eating is
also subsistence level. Five dollars US will provide 10 kilograms
of rice, which will feed one person for three or four weeks. Again,
no luxury. Every meal, rice. Every day, rice. No variety in the
menu, and there is no such thing as desert in a diet like theirs.
So we need
your help. Your donation will go a very long way.
Our goal is to help each refugee make it to a free land where
they can live in safety.
But before they can make it to freedom, they must make it through
the winter.
Will you help
us help our refugees?
This mother and daughter left their hometown in North
Korea, and went to China searching for food. They found
very little. This little girl has lost her sight from
malnutrition. |
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