Background
The alarming food shortages in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(North Korea) has led to an international humanitarian relief effort, in
which CARE USA and four other aid agencies are distributing and monitoring
55,000 metric tons of food donated by the U.S. Government. The
Food Aid and Monitoring Support Project will help the most vulnerable
portions of Korean society - children, women, and the elderly - to survive
until the harvest next month.
The consortium of aid agencies is now fully operational, working from a
temporary office in Pyongyang. The agencies are:
° CARE
USA
° Catholic
Relief Services
° Amigos
Internacionales
° Mercy
Corps International
° World
Vision Relief and Development
The consortium communicate
regularly with the North Korean Government's Flood Damage Rehabilitation
Commission (FDRC), the World Food Programme (WFP) office in Pyongyang,
and the various headquarters concerned.
Recent Developments
Division of Food
The first food shipment of nearly 25,000 metric tons arrived Aug. 25
aboard the Judy Litrico. Three additional shipments are scheduled
to arrive in the coming weeks. The consortium of aid agencies will
monitor 55,000 metric tons, while the WFP will monitor an additional 45,000
metric tons. However, all three parties (WFP, FDRC, and the aid agencies)
will agree on overall programmatic and distribution plans.
Responding to Typhoon
Winnie
The intensity of activity around CARE's response to the humanitarian crisis
in North Korea stepped up considerably in the wake of the country's August
22 bout with Typhoon Winnie. Winds and tidal surges created severe
damage to protective dikes and planted fields in three southern provinces
(North Pyongan, South Pyongan, and South Huanghae).
The Typhoon affected 22 counties in three provinces: North Pyongan, South
Pyongan, and South Huanghae. The North Korean Government estimates
that 2.8 million people were affected by the storm, with 29,000 people
made homeless. The government also reported significant agricultural
losses, including 107,625 hectares of damaged land and 700,000 metric tons
of lost cereal crops. Nearly 1,000 sea dikes were also destroyed.
CARE is working to verify the damage reports from independent sources.
After assessments in several counties and discussions with WFP and the
U.S. Agency for International Development, CARE and the other agencies
directed 12,750 metric tons of the relief food to victims of the typhoon
through a food-for-work project to repair the damaged dikes. The
program will provide critically needed support to more than 371,000 households
for a period of 21 days, until they can reap the harvest of their own fields
in early October.
The following table indicates how the food will be distributed:
Beneficiary Type |
Number
|
Allocation
|
Days
|
Total Allocation
|
Workers w/ families |
247,813
|
2 kg/day
|
21 days
|
10,408 MT
|
Single Workers |
123, 907
|
0.9 kg/day
|
21 days
|
2,342 MT
|
TOTAL |
371,720
|
12,750 MT
|
Monitoring Plans
In order to ensure that the food (in both the food-for-work and regular programs) reaches its intended beneficiaries without overlapping with other programs, the consortium has paid careful attention to developing detailed and realistic plans for:
° Monitoring
the movement of the food.
° Monitoring
how the food is distributed and used.
° Measuring
the impact of the food aid on communities.
The consortium is currently
focusing on the food-for-work program, and the details of later distributions
will be completed over the next week.
Monitoring will ensue in two phases:
1. Over a 10-day period,
the full consortium team will visit all 22 counties targeted for food distribution.
2. Three smaller groups will then take intensive oversight of each
province. The FDRC has provided the consortium with three vehicles,
while the WFP and the Korean government are providing logistical support.
Other Consortium Activities
One victim of the typhoon's surges and tidal wave was the largest North
Korean salt production facility, located on the country's western coast.
This being the time for production of kim-chi, a local staple
food item consisting of salted-dried cabbage, the loss of 120,000 metric
tons of salt presents yet another threat to the ability of North Koreans
to weather the winter. In response to a request from the FDRC, CARE
has allocated $5,000 from its Emergency Response Fund for the purchase
of salt from China, and Catholic Relief Services is matching this amount.
Other CARE Activities
North Korea has recognized the presence of two CARE entities in the country:
the CARE USA representation in the consortium of aid agencies; and CARE
International, represented by a staff member from CARE Australia who is
monitoring the use of the 1,000 metric tons of fertilizer procured by CARE
Norge with funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CARE
International is also assessing the possibilities for other, non-food assistance
to the North Korean population. With the winter season fast approaching
and most belongings washed away by Winnie's tidal wave, CARE International
will, in the short term, purchase warm clothing for children, using funds
secured by CARE Deutschland. In the longer term, CARE International
is exploring several possibilities, including a range of food security
initiatives such as greenhouses, family food plots (seeds and tools), and
small animal husbandry. Water and sanitation projects in the capital,
Pyongyang, are also being considered.
CARE
151 Ellis Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30303-2439
1-800-521-CARE, ext. 999
info@care.org