On May 20, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) became one of the first humanitarian agencies to provide emergency supplies to 530 Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan.

The relief supplies included clothing, hygiene products, towels, blankets, medical supplies, books, toys, and other necessities valued at more than $20,000.

“This assistance was vital for suffering people looking for asylum in the Kyrgyz Republic, and we express our gratitude for the participation of the organizations that contributed to the project,” said Victor Zotov, director for ADRA Kyrgyzstan.

The organizations that contributed to the relief effort include: ADRA, AmeriCares, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Sabre Foundation, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Kyrgyz Republic, and deputies from the local parliament in the southern region of Kyrgyzstan.

Of the 530 refugees helped, 25 were children, 84 were women, and five were men suffering from bullet wounds.

More than 500 Uzbeks fled to Kyrgyzstan after violence broke out in the city of Andijan, Uzbekistan, on May 13. The number of deaths resulting from the violence is yet to be determined.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing individual and community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity.