News from Lori's Parents
22 August 2007
In this update:Update on Lori and the Devastating Peruvian Earthquake
Many months have gone by since our last update about our daughter Lori who will have finished 12 years of wrongful incarceration in Perú this November. Lori's situation remains the same. She continues to work in her prison bakery and she continues to be a model prisoner, assisting other incarcerated individuals and working on projects to improve the education and health of the prisoners. Lori will be eligible for parole in November 2010. Her health has been stable. She wears a back-brace for an early detected osteoarthritis of the spine and she continues to suffer from circulation problems (Reynauds syndrome) that keep her hands swollen and cut and her feet sometimes numb.
Lori is incarcerated in northern Perú. As you know, last week the city of Ica and the coastal town of Pisco, south of Lima, were hit by a horrific earthquake that measured 7.9 on the Richter scale. As a result, approximately 500 Peruvians died, 1,400 are injured and thousands more Peruvians are without homes, water, food or supplies. Lori felt the tremors in her Cajamarca prison but there was no damage there from the distant earthquake.
Lori is quite concerned about the effects of the earthquake on Perú's poorest people. So many Peruvians lost their homes and all their belongings. In particular, she worries about the health of the children in the disaster areas.
At Lori's suggestion we have contacted Rabbi Guillermo Bronstein in Lima and he urged that all donations be made through Caritas del Perú (http://www.caritas.org.pe/) since they are a very efficient and effective relief organization. Caritas del Perú, the aid agency of Perú's Catholic Church, has been raising funds and obtaining supplies to provide relief to the victims since the first moments of the crisis. Although humanitarian donations have been coming from around the world, starvation and the possible spread of disease are real fears in the devasted areas and help is needed quickly.
Donations can be made to Caritas del Perú Emergencia terremoto Pisco, Ica Y Canete by sending checks to Banco de Credito Sucursal Miami. The address of this bank is 121 Alhambra Plaza Suite 1200, Coral Gables FL 33134 USA.
If you prefer, you should contact your favorite charity or religious organization since they may also have established an emergency relief fund for this purpose.