Vatican City, 22 August 2007 – The Jewish Community of Peru is working with Caritas to deliver aid to survivors of the deadly earthquake that struck coastal Peru on 15 August.

The quake, measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale, killed over 500 people, flattened the coastal town of Pisco, and left over 100,000 people homeless as it destroyed homes across the surrounding regions.

The Jewish Community of Peru is being supported by Jewish organisations from around the world and the Israeli government.

Jorge LaFosse, the Secretary-General of Caritas Peru, said, "We have a close working relationship with numerous Jewish organisations, as well as others across the spectrum of faiths.

"We are grateful for this gesture of solidarity and great generosity to help Peruvians, regardless of faith and indeed as a powerful expression of our faiths."

The Jewish Community of Peru in a press release said, "We wish to express our condolences to the families of the fallen victims of this catastrophe, and we pray that there will be a fast return to normal life and that reconstruction in the affected zones becomes a reality as quickly as possible."
 
The Caritas Confederation has launched an appeal worth over $US 11 million to help more than 10,000 families (50,000 people) by providing food, clean water, clothing, bedding, medicine and other basic necessities. Caritas also plans to distribute materials for building temporary shelters.

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations present in over 200 countries and territories.

Nancy McNally, media officer
Tel: +39 06 69879752
Mobile: +39 334 2344 136
mcnally@caritas.va
www.caritas.org

Karla Liliana Auza Valdivia
Communications, Cáritas del Perú
Teléfono: +51 1 6135200 ext. 130
karla.auza@caritas.org.pe