fter being taken hostage by armed militia on
March 8 and detained by the government of Sudan, Peter Lujana, a Sudanese national employee of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA), arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 24 after being released. Family members and ADRA staff greeted him with traditional African songs.
"It is a relief to have Peter restored to his family," Ralph Watts, Jr., ADRA president, said. "We appreciate the efforts of all who helped bring about this happy conclusion."
During the initial attack on ADRA's compound in southern Sudan, four ADRA workers were captured. Two Kenyans were released on April 1 after a request by Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi during a two-day visit to Khartoum. A third worker was released April 22. Reasons for the abduction and detention are still
unclear.
ADRA operates in southern Sudan as a member of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), a consortium of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The UN Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator coordinates OLS, which facilities UN agencies and NGOs in delivering aid to war-torn Sudan.
An internationally recognized non-governmental organization, ADRA is active in more than 120 nations. ADRA was granted general consultative status by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in
1997.
ADRA is an independent humanitarian agency established with the specific purpose of individual and community development and disaster relief, without
regard to age, ethnicity, or political or religious
association.
Adventist Graduates in the U.S. are 60%
More Likely to Attend a Top Law School
A study by the Center for Law and Public Policy at Columbia Union College, Takoma Park, Maryland, revealed that graduates from Adventist colleges in the United States are nearly 60 percent more likely than graduates from other institutions to attend one of the nation's top-20 law schools as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. About 23 percent of Adventist college graduates, who went to law school, attend top-20 law schools compared with 14 percent of the nation as a whole, says Roy Branson, center director.
Among the 490 graduates of Adventist schools surveyed who became lawyers, 39 were listed as having attended nine of the top-10 law programs in the
U.S. Of the top-20 law schools, the largest number of students from Adventist colleges, 30, went to the University of Southern California. Northwestern University drew 11 students, while Georgetown University and University of California-Los Angeles each drew 10 Adventist graduates.
The Center for Law and Public Policy survey incorporated information from JD, the biennial journal of Adventist U.S. lawyers. , and the Martindale-Hubbell Law directory, which includes facts concerning more than one million U.S. lawyers. The survey did not include Adventists who earned undergraduate degrees from non-Adventist schools.
News Notes
The South Brazil Adventist Institution of Education and Social Assistance (AIESA) was recently honored among the 50 best non-profit agencies in Brazil.
The Bem Eficeinte Award (Efficient Good Deed) recognizes the agencies organizational, financial, operational, and social impact. More than 300 organizations competed for the awards. They were evaluated by international standards of philanthropy in 42 areas. AIESA was the only agency selected from South Brazil and one of few religiously affiliated organizations to receive the award, the South American Division reports.
The White Memorial Medical Center Charitable Foundation in Los Angeles recently received a $200,000 grant from the State of California to establish a Youth Opportunity On-the-Job Training program. It is hoped that the new program will place 32 youth into permanent positions.
Jim Gilley, president of the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference, was recently elected vice president of the North American Division. Gilley replaces Cyril Miller who has retired.
Steve Orian, Arkansas Louisiana Conference secretary, and former president of the Dakota conference, was recently elected Arkansas-Louisiana Conference president, replacing Gilley.
James L. Lewis, Allegheny West Conference treasurer, was recently elected conference president. James Lewis replaces Willie J. Lewis who retired.
Correction: The 2001 Manitoba-Saskatchewan Campmeeting will be held July 13-21, not the dates listed in the March NAD edition of the Review.
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