$500,000 appeal for Ethiopian relief

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33373, 3 November 1973, Page 1

$500,000 appeal for Ethiopian relief

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 2. An appeal for $500,000 is to be opened immediately by C.0.R.5.0. for relief work in drought-stricken Ethiopia. The appeal would be an extension of the existing North African Drought Relief Fund, said the acting chairman (Mr N. Gusscott) today.

The money would be used to provide immediate relief and aid through reputable aid organisations already established in Ethiopia, i and recognised by its) Government, said Mr I Gusscott.

The Government was giving urgent consideration to the nature of relief assistance it could give, the Prime Minister (Mr Kirk) said tonight.

He commended the C.0.R.5.0. appeal to the public, and said it was fully supported by the Government. “We are getting in touch immediately with our posts in New York, Rome, and Geneva to find the response of the international community, and which of the international agencies has been authorised to coordinate relief assistance,” Mr Kirk said.

“The Government will give urgent consideration to the nature of the contribution which it can most appropriately make in this situation.”

New Zealanders last night saw a television documentary on the drought by the British journalist, Jonathan Dimbleby. i The Ethiopian Government kept the drought quiet for six months. Medicine anti food Mr Gusscott. of C.0.R.5.0., said the immediate need was for medical supplies and food, and the cash would be used for these. Food and medical supplies were assured if the money were forthcoming. He said that C.0.R.5.0.’s telephones had been jammed with calls today, and that people had been walking in from the streets with substantial donations.

The C.0.R.5.0. appeal was being opened at the request of the World Council of Churches, Mr B. G. Coleman, the Waikato regional organiser of C.0.R.5.0. said today. Money given would be sent immediately to the World Council of Churches administration in Ethiopia. Telephones “hot” “Our telephones have been

. Government, earlier this year, : had received a United Nations . request for aid for these countries. But by the time the situa- ; tion was brought to the . Government’s notice the main need was not for food, . but for aircraft to transport i the goods, and New Zealand was unable to help. ' The then Acting Prime ' Minister (Mr Watt) had told ' inquirers that New Zealand ; was unable to respond fav- . ourably, to every natural ‘ disaster that occurred, and had responsibilities closer to ’ home. 1 Ties since 1935 > • New Zealand has a longstanding relationship with : Ethiopia, going back to 1935, j when New Zealand supported I Abyssinia as it was known . then, in the League of [ Nations after it had been i invaded by Italy. New Zealand was one of the few countries which sup- , ported Ethiopia, and favoured i oil sanctions against Italy, the official source said. Ethiopia has also supported New Zealand in the United ’ Nations. The source said it ! was one of the first African countries to support New Zealand in the United Nations last year against French nuclear tests. S.C.F. appeal The Save the Children Fund in New Zealand was opening an appeal to help Ethiopia, Mrs F. Fancourt, of Timaru, the national publicity officer, said today. The northern Hawke’s Bay branch of the Save the Children Fund has given $5OO. The North Canterbury branch of the Save the Children Fund has sent $2900 which was raised in a garden fete. About 80 volunteers gave Christmas gifts, novelties, produce and clothing to be sold at the fete, said the president (Mrs J. L. Pearson).

red hot all over New Zealand,” the acting director of C.0.R.5.0. (Mr C. J. Hamblyn) said. “People are responding. They have been very deeply moved. They want to do something,” he said. It was not until Wednesday that the World Council of Churches had sent a message saying that Ethiopia should be included in the Sahelian-zone appeal. An appeal on behalf of people in the drought-struck Sahelian zone of West Africa — the countries of Mali, Mauritania, Upper Volta, Chad, and Niger—had raised about $7OOO in the last two or three months, said Mr Hamblyn. Mr Kirk said that in recent months the Government had acted to help Nicaragua and Tonga, and had under consideration the flooding and famine in Pakistan and North Africa. The five other countries in North Africa affected by the drought had been aided mainly by Western European countries. An official source in Wellington said today that the

The C.0.R.5.0. office in Christchurch has ben inundated with calls offering assistance.

The regional organiser for C.0.R.5.0. (Mr R. A. Consedine) said last evening that the office had received $l5OO in donations yesterday, and would be open today to receive more gifts. Money could also be left at chemists, branches of the National Bank, and the City Council offices.