Countywide : Professors Seek Aid for Trip to Chechnya
Two UC Irvine professors are asking Orange County residents to donate supplies for a relief mission they are planning to besieged Chechnya.
Social ecology professor John M. Whiteley and university researcher Paula Garb are working with international aid organizations on a plan to travel in June to the war-torn region in southern Russia. The two are hoping to deliver medical and school supplies to Chechen refugees in neighboring Ingushetia and if possible, within Chechnya itself, Garb said.
Nearly 80% of an estimated 500,000 people displaced by the 5-month-old war between Russians and Chechens are women and children, the researcher said.
The most pressing needs are for antibiotics, insulin, cancer medications and vaccines for a variety of childhood diseases, Garb said. Other items needed are surgical and sterilization supplies, suture material, bandages and iodine tablets.
They are also asking for donations of school and art supplies for children.
Garb said the team can accept donations of the supplies or of checks made out to the University of California Regents, marked to her attention or Whiteley’s. Those interested in donating can also contact Garb at (714) 824-6410 or Whiteley at (714) 824-6281.
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