A CHARITY worker from Leyland has gone to the Balkans to distribute vital aid to Kosovar refugees.

Chris Dakas is a pastor working for International Aid, the Centurion Way-based charity, dedicated to helping the people of Eastern Europe.

He is currently based in Albania, helping to distribute vital aid to the 300,000 refugees who have been forced to flee the Kosovo killing fields.

Speaking from Tirana, he said: "Here, the refugees are just wandering around trying to find a place to sleep. They want to forget what has happened to them.

"Most are in shock, and many have lost family members. Some refugees have seen their families slaughtered before their eyes by Serbian police. We fear the worst is still to come."

Several trucks containing aid have already been sent to Albania - Europe's poorest country - as it battles to help the refugees. Many of the displaced people had less than an hour to flee their homes and went for days without food, water and sleep.

The charity which also runs a centre for street children, has been preparing for the influx of refugees for several months and Chris has relayed details of the crisis back to his Leyland base. But he admits that the huge number of refugees has shocked aid workers. He added: "We really thought the situation would get better and never believed it would come to this.

"I don't know how things will develop."

He said most of the refugees have just one wish: "They don't want to live in a foreign country. They are sure their homes have been burned and their property stolen but all they want to do is go home.

"They will only realise what they have lost when they recover from the shock of what has happened."

More trucks are due to leave Lancashire for the region and among their haul is 15 tonnes of flour, which will give aid workers the means to bake bread in a bakery, sent to the region earlier this year.

Marisa Iaverdino and Sally Edmunson are pictured collecting goods at Preston's Flag Market.

But even the most basic items are needed, including toilet paper, sanitary towels, mattresses and unprocessed food. Anyone who wants help by donating items, money or their time, should call the charity on (01254) 832333.

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