SEATTLE - World Concern President Dave Eller and World Concern Deputy Disaster Response Director Nick Archer are in Washington DC this week attending InterAction's Forum, which has directed its focus to the crisis in Myanmar.

World Concern, a Shoreline-based relief and development organization, has been working in Myanmar since 1995. The organization is taking a lead role in providing emergency relief assistance through established local and international non-governmental partners.

In DC, Eller met with a group of 6 aid agencies called the Global Relief Association (GRA) and others regarding the best way to address additional immediate needs as well as plan for future mid and long-term solutions, such as agricultural recovery, housing repair and reconstruction, and rehabilitation of water wells.

"World Concern's is already providing medical care, food aid, basic water treatment, generators for clearing wells, and emergency supplies such as plastic sheeting for shelter and mosquito nets," reported Eller. "We have strong partners, particularly in the area of health. Because we already have staff on the ground, a large number of aid agencies have approached us as potential partners."

Regionally and worldwide, World Concern has directed emergency response and rehabilitation programming for more than 20 years in areas such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Kenya and Chad, as well as post-tsunami programming in Sri Lanka and South Thailand. World Concern helped to establish the GRA with FHI, MAP, WR, CRWRC and MTI in 2004 in response to the Darfur crisis. Since then, they have joined forces to provide relief in Chad, Honduras, Indonesia and now in Myanmar.