| Kosovo
Girl Talks on U.S. Radio
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -- The e-mails have stopped, but a young Albanian woman stranded in
Kosovo told an American friend by telephone that her family is ready to split up to escape
their war-torn country.
The e-mailed words of the 16-year-old, known only by the pseudonym ``Adona´´ to keep her
identity secret from Serbian troops, have been heard by millions on National Public Radio.
She was the subject of three radio programs which read e-mail messages that she sent to
Finnegan Hamill, a Berkeley High School student and reporter for Youth Radio.
The letters stopped in mid-March, presumably because her electricity was cut off. But on
Monday, Finnegan was able to reach her by telephone. She told Finnegan she and her family
were huddled inside their home, with no power and little food and water.
``She said she can´t call out on her phone anymore, and her
family is hoping to leave as soon as possible, in her words, ´As soon as they can see a
corridor or path out of the area,´ ´´ Finnegan reported Wednesday on NPR´s ``Morning
Edition.´´
``Earlier, Adona wanted to stay with her family at all costs. She
now says the situation is so much worse that her family has decided they are willing to
split up if necessary.´´
Finnegan, 16, began writing to Adona in January after a peace
worker who had visited Kosovo came to his church and gave him her e-mail address.
Adona is an ethnic Albanian, and thus a target for ``ethnic
cleansing´´ by the Serbian troops now driving Kosovars from their homes.
``When Adona answered the phone, I was so relieved just to know
she was still alive. ... I was trying to tell her that she has a lot of friends here
pulling for her,´´ Finnegan said in Wednesday´s broadcast.
Beverly Mire, training director of Youth Radio, told the San Jose
Mercury News that Finnegan was ``burned out´´ by the national media attention he had
received.
``It´s unbearable knowing that my friend is living through the
horror that I see on the news. Knowing that there is nothing I can do about it is even
worse,´´ Finnegan said in the broadcast.
``At some point, just like e-mail, telephone contact will be
impossible,´´ Finnegan said. ``Adona will likely become one of the thousands of refugees
fleeing their homes and heading for what they hope is safety. I know she´ll get in touch
with me as soon as she can, and I´ll be waiting.´´ |
