AID worker Kate Ogden is in a harrowing race against time to feed starving Kosovar youngsters as they cross the border into Albania.

Kate, 37, of Castle Road, Colne, flew out to Albania on Saturday and yesterday made the six-hour journey from Tirana to Kukech, the first town refugees reach when they cross the border.

Kate, a nutritionist for the Action for Hunger charity, and her team have bought stocks of food specifically for children under the age of five to give them a hot meal when they cross the border.

But they do not know exactly what kind of problems they will be faced with until they reach the border camps which are overflowing with the homeless, and starving.

Kate said: "Action for Hunger's aim is to feed as many of the under fives as possible when they cross the border. Hopefully we will be able to give them a porridge type meal. We don't know until we get to the border whether or not we will be able to extend our programme to include pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers." Aid organisations from across the world have set up bases in Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro, but are struggling to cope with the influx of thousands of refugees who are camping in fields near to the border crossings from Kosovo.

Kate only returned home to Colne just weeks before the Nato air strikes began after spending three months in the Kosovo capital Pristina.

Kate is going to keep in touch with the Lancashire Evening Telegraph during her time in Albania via a satellite telephone.

Action for Hunger has set up a Kosovo Crisis Appeal which needs urgent funds. If anybody would like to donate call 0171 242 5665.

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