Refugee Aid

* Re “Relief Camps for Africans, Kosovars Worlds Apart,” May 21:

The explanations given for the disparity in aid between Kosovar refugees and African refugees are simply inconceivable. By stating that street lights, hot showers and communal kitchens are the minimum for “maintaining people’s dignity” in Kosovo and basic food, drinking water and shelter are extras for the African refugees, we are modifying the minimum threshold for human dignity according to where people live.

Refugee camps are not sites where previous lifestyles should be maintained but are areas where those in imminent danger receive refuge and basic provisions prior to moving on to a permanent second site. The basic provisions refugees receive should not be allotted according to their lifestyle before they fled but rather with survival and health maintenance in mind. To state that many Africans lived a life below the standard that exists in African refugee camps is a gross fabrication that serves to downplay the disparities of aid.

AZEB TADESSE

Los Angeles