wo Kenyan workers of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) who were taken hostage on March 8 by armed militia in Kiechkuon, southern Sudan, were released on March 31 and handed over to Kenya's ambassador in Sudan, Edward Kabwisa. The release followed a request from Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi to Sudanese president Omar el-Beshir during a two-day visit to Khartoum.

The other two workers still being held in Khartoum are Peter Lujana, a Sudanese national who has lived 15 years in Kenya, and Joy Santuke, Ugandan mother of four. During the attack on ADRA's compound, Lujana was injured, and a woman and young girl from a nearby village were killed. As all four workers were operating legally in southern Sudan, ADRA is still unclear as to the possible reason for their continued detention.

No ADRA or United Nations (UN) officials have yet had access to the two remaining detainees since they were brought to Khartoum by Sudanese army officials on March 16. Shortly after the abduction on March 8, the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, personally wrote to the president of Sudan requesting the release of the workers.

ADRA operates in southern Sudan as a member of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), a consortium of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The UN Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator (OCHA) coordinates OLS, which facilitates UN agencies and NGOs in delivering aid to war-torn Sudan. OCHA made a verbal statement to the Sudanese government on March 24 restating its position:

"The Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator wishes to confirm to the Ministry the United Nations position that the presence of the four ADRA personnel at Kiechkuon was and is consistent with the practice of the agreements and plans of action of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), to which the government of Sudan is a party. The Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator also wishes to confirm that the movement of the four ADRA personnel in UN/OLS aircraft is fully consistent with the information on flight movements provided to the government on a regular monthly basis."

ADRA is encouraged by the level of assistance it has received from the UN secretary-general, OLS partners, the president of Kenya, and other government officials in their efforts to free its four workers. "I'm encouraged by the bona fide gesture of the Sudanese government in releasing our two Kenyan workers. As an international NGO, ADRA recognizes that its workers sometimes operate in dangerous situations, but when agreements have been reached by government authorities to protect and facilitate the movements of humanitarian staff, we expect those agreements to be honored," said ADRA president Ralph Watts.

ADRA was the first NGO to establish operations in Luakpiny District in the Upper Nile province of southern Sudan. The agency's integrated emergency health and food assistance programs there include primary health care, food security, and veterinary health care programs. ADRA has operated in southern Sudan since 1984, and, as a member of OLS, programs currently reach more than 200,000 beneficiaries. The agency has also run integrated programs in northern Sudan since 1983 with the full support of the Sudanese government.

100,000 Missionaries to Cover Eastern Africa
The Eastern Africa Division plans to send out 100,000 Global Mission pioneers this year, according to George Mwansa, Global Mission coordinator for the Adventist Church in the region.

The pioneers will be drawn from the more than two million Adventist members who live in this territory, which includes the countries of Botswana, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Global Mission pioneers are lay members who volunteer to establish an Adventist congregation in unentered territories within their own culture. "They have the advantage of knowing the culture, speaking the language, blending with the local people--and being far less expensive than overseas missionaries," says Mike Ryan, Global Mission coordinator for the Adventist Church worldwide. "More than 30,000 Global Mission pioneers are now working around the world, and we estimate that in the past eight years they've established more than 11,000 Adventist congregations."

The Adventist Church in eastern African set its goal of 100,000 pioneers during the Global Mission advisory meetings held in Harare, March 19-21. During the meetings, Pardon Mwansa, division president, noted the need to keep exploring new ways of reaching unentered areas and people groups. Ryan cited the example of a world territory where 20,000 pioneers are currently establishing new congregations. Unlike traditional pioneers, Ryan said, they have not left their homes--they have simply started to help plant new churches right where they live.

If we define pioneers in this way, observed George Mwansa, "we have to challenge ourselves to recruit at least 100,000 this year." Mwansa went on to tell local leaders attending the advisory that with the number of church members at the two million level, it was "neither unreasonable nor unrealistic" to put the figure at 100,000.

Pardon Mwansa reacted enthusiastically to the resolution. "I am happy that this resolution has passed as it is at the very heart of the mission of the church," he said. "I will personally do my best as chief administrator of this territory to see that this goal is translated into reality by the grace of God." --Adventist News Network

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital
Regains Top Accreditation Status
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has upgraded the status of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Maryland to the highest level of accreditation following a one-day focused survey on March 1. The hospital's official status, according to the JCAHO, is now "Accreditation without Type I Recommendations."

"This kind of independent, external affirmation of our progress is always helpful," says Deborah A. Yancer, who was hired as president and chief operating officer of Shady Grove in June 2000. "While this decision is positive news, quality is a continuous journey and we are committed to always looking to elevate our standard of care."

The restoration of the top accreditation comes 18 months after the JCAHO had moved to Shady Grove's accreditation because of concerns about the quality of patient care. These concerns were the subject of a series of Washington Post articles in late 1999.

JCAHO placed Shady Grove on "preliminary nonaccreditation" status. After subsequent unannounced surveys, the hospital's status was later upgraded to "conditional." And in September 2000 it was upgraded again to "Accreditation with Type I Recommendations," which approximately 85 percent of all hospitals in the U.S. obtain following a full survey.

NEWS NOTES
Benjamin P. Browne, South Central Conference secretary, was recently appointed president of the Ethiopian Union Mission. Browne replaces Tinsae Tolessa.

Nahor Muchiutti, publishing director of the Review and Herald Publishing Association Home Health Education Service, was recently elected president of the Quebec Seventh-day Adventist Church Conference. Muchiutti replaces Nilton Amorim who became secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada.