Yard sale aids relief for refugees

Ruth and Sam Neff of Whitefish express their gratitude to all the North Valley residents who helped make their yard sale for refugee relief a success.

This is the third year the Neffs have organized a community sale for the benefit of two global relief programs, Doctors Without Borders and The International Rescue Committee.

"These two organizations are always on the front lines, providing medical aid and other assistance to those whose lives have been disrupted by war and by other affairs beyond their control," the Neffs write.

Thanks to the many contributions they received, they raised more than $1,400 for each organization.

"It's a pleasure to live in an area where our friends and neighbors are willing to do what they can for those in other parts of the world who face hardships we can barely imagine."

From South Darfur, Sudan (where 66,000 people have fled recent violence and nearly 4,000 children are being treated for malnutrition) to Haiti, where victims of severe flooding have received treatment for malaria and other diseases at a new health center, Doctors Without Borders provides emergency aid to victims of armed conflict, epidemics, and natural and manmade disasters.

Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, was founded in 1971 by a small group of French doctors who shared the belief that all people have the right to medical care regardless of race, religion, creed or political affiliation, and that the needs of these people supersede respect for national borders.

Today it's an international network operating in 18 countries. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer doctors, nurses, other medical professionals, logistics experts, water/sanitation engineers and administrators join 15,000 locally hired staffers to provide medical aid in more than 80 countries.

The International Rescue Committee was founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein to assist opponents of Hitler. Since then it has provided hope and humanitarian aid to refugees and other victims of oppression around the world, helping people fleeing racial, religious and ethnic persecution, as well as those uprooted by war and violence.

The group is at work in 25 countries, providing emergency shelter, agricultural seeds, clothing, fuel, medicine and food; rebuilding devastated communities; establishing schools and training teachers; caring for war-traumatized children, reuniting families, and strengthening the capacity of local aid groups and institutions. It is the only aid organization that directly implements programs for refugees and displaced people, helping those unable to return home and who qualify for sanctuary to rebuild their lives in the United States.

To learn more about Doctors Without Borders, log on to www.dwb.org or call 1-888-392-0392, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To learn about the International Rescue Committee visit www.theirc.org or call 212-551-3000 in New York, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.