through contributions to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), which has assistance programmes in Somalia.

Pastor Carlyle Simmons, president of the Bermuda Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, said that local members of his faith had "given generously'' to ADRA's worldwide appeal.

According to a press release, ADRA is continuing to provide medical care and supplemental feeding for children despite war-like conditions in the country.

The clinic handles as many as 300 patients per day.

According to ADRA, the most urgent needs in Somalia are clean water for drinking and cooking, and food. Adequate clothing is also urgently required.

A shipment containing an estimated $461,000 worth of medical supplies and enough clothing for 15,000 people had been expected to arrive at the clinic in late December. The agency's first shipment was intercepted and stolen by armed bandits last summer.

Clothing was also important, noted the ADRA statement, because seriously malnourished people died more quickly when there was even a slight drop in temperature.

ADRA is one of only a few relief agencies which is currently distributing clothing in Somalia. It is also planning to send water pumps and provide long-term development assistance by drilling wells.

Mr. Dick Hall, director of ADRA's office in Mogadishu said: "When we have addressed the short-term needs, we'll focus on the long-term needs of the people here.'' Pastor Simmons said the local Seventh-Day Adventist churches would continue to support ADRA's long-term programmes.