InterAction Member Activity Report North Korea A Guide to Humanitarian and Development Efforts of InterAction Member Agencies in North Korea
September 2005
Photo by Reuters/Ho
Produced by Josh Kearns With the Humanitarian Policy and Practice Unit of
1717 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 701, Washington DC 20036 Phone (202) 667-8227 Fax (202) 667-8236 Website: http://www.interaction.org
Table of Contents
Map of North Korea 2
Background Summary 3
Report Summary 5
Organizations by Sector Activity 6
Glossary of Acronyms 7
InterAction Member Activity Report
Adventist Development and Relief Agency 8
American Friends Service Committee 10
Americares 12
Baptist World Aid 13
Catholic Relief Services 14
Holt International Children’s Services 16
Korean American Sharing Movement 17
Mercy Corps 18
Refugees International 20
US Fund for UNICEF 21
World Vision 24
InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 1 September 2005
Map of North Korea
Map courtesy of Central Intelligence Agency / World Fact Book
InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 2 September 2005
Background Summary
Since the mid-1990’s, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has experienced a severe food shortfall. Exacerbated by a series of droughts and floods, the DPRK is further plagued by unsafe drinking water supplies, declining public health services, and an energy crisis. Economic mismanagement and a loss of support from North Korea’s traditional communist allies after the end of the Cold War have led to continuing economic decline over the last decade. Food rations under the government’s Public Distribution System (PDS), upon which many North Koreans depend for survival, went into serious decline beginning in 1994. Despite recent improvements, rations fall significantly short of daily caloric requirements. Food aid is desperately needed. The regime’s policy of self-reliance (Juche) and its confrontational posture towards outsiders have complicated efforts to aid the North Korean people.
Following the ouster of the Japanese occupier at the end of World War II, the victorious powers were unable to agree upon a suitable way to administer the newly independent Korean nation. The result was a division into North and South along the 38th parallel—the North allied with the Soviet Union and the South with the US and its allies. In June 1950, war erupted between the fledgling Korean nations when the North launched an attack on its southern neighbor. After three years of fighting, which included intervention from a UN peacekeeping force on behalf of the South and Chinese and Soviet assistance for the North, the peninsula remained divided. North Korea’s economy and infrastructure were devastated, and the messy outcome of the war led Kim Il-Sung, North Korea’s “Great Leader,” to distance himself from his communist allies.
Because of Kim Il-Sung’s desire to stave off Soviet and Chinese influence, North Korea’s development policy during the Cold War was characterized by a program of self-reliance and a strict, centrally planned economy. This strategy, which consisted mainly of extracting North Korea’s mineral wealth for industrial growth and expanding its agricultural production, resulted in some initial success. However, in the 1970’s, negative economic growth caused by the oil crisis and other factors marked the beginning of a steady downward slide for North Korea. After the collapse of the Soviet bloc in 1989 the North found itself without its most important trading partner. As a result, during the 1990’s, the DPRK was left to provide food and services to its people without the benefit of significant outside assistance. What little arable land the country had was left vulnerable to flood due to the deforestation that accompanied North Korea’s breakneck agricultural expansion programs.
This precarious situation came to a head in the mid-1990s, when a series of floods destroyed much of the DPRK’s food stocks. At the same time, the production of fertilizer, upon which the DPRK relied heavily for agricultural production, declined rapidly due to a loss of inputs from the former communist states. Currently, fertilizer production is at less than 12% of pre-1990s levels. In 2002, in an effort to ameliorate the food crisis, the North Korean government implemented economic reforms including price and wage increases and market liberalization at the lowest levels. These policies appear to have backfired, leaving many unable to afford basic commodities. Prior to the famine, the government’s PDS supplied over 700 grams of food rations per day to over 60% of the population. The most recent reports state that the system is providing about half of that.
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Though the worst of the food crisis appears to be over, North Korea is a long way from being able to feed its population. The World Food Program predicts that its programs will need to help feed over 6.5 million people this year, with women and children receiving priority based upon need. As of May 2005, a food shortfall of over 300,000 MT exists. Though the DPRK has shown an increased willingness to accept foreign food aid since 1995, agencies and organizations have encountered difficulty monitoring and evaluating its impact, as well as assessing further needs. The government’s recent decision to restart its nuclear weapons program has strained its relations with the US, Japan, and South Korea, who together with China are the largest donors to North Korea.
In 1995 the North Korean government asked InterAction to facilitate humanitarian assistance from its members. Several dozen American and European NGOs organized relief and recovery programs. However, the number of these NGOs working has shrunk over the past decade, as dissatisfaction with constraints placed on their freedom to conduct needs assessments and to monitor delivery of relief led many to end their programs. In mid September 2005 the DPRK government informed the UN and NGOs that it no longer would accept their humanitarian assistance.
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Report Summary
This report offers international agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the media and the public an overview of the humanitarian assistance being provided to the people of North Korea by InterAction member agencies.
Eleven member organizations reported their current or planned relief and development operations in North Korea. The programs address a broad range of sectors including: agriculture and food security; disaster and emergency relief; education and training; environmental protection; health care; human rights, peace and conflict resolution; organizational capacity building; rural development and water and sanitation.
These activities take place in a number of locations including in and around Pyongyang, South Pyongan Province, North Hwanghe, Kangwon Province, Sepo County, Pukchang county and Rajin-Sonbong district.
The agencies in this report have presented various objectives for their programs in North Korea. Many deal with increased food production as well as the provisions of medical supplies. Some agencies focus on particularly vulnerable populations, such as children and pregnant and nursing women. Other common themes among program objectives include agricultural assistance and emergency relief.
Many of the agencies in this report work with the support of, or in coordination with local and international partners. Some of the organizations mentioned are: the European Union (EU), the Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee (FDRC), Caritas Internationalis/Hong Kong and various UN agencies.
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Organizations by Sector Activity
Agriculture and Food Security Human Rights, Peace and Adventist Development and Relief Agency Conflict Resolution American Friends Service Committee Refugees International Catholic Relief Services Mercy Corps Nutrition/Food and Water US Fund for UNICEF Distribution World Vision Adventist Development and Relief Agency
Americares Disaster and Emergency Relief Baptist World Aid Adventist Development and Relief Agency Catholic Relief Services American Friends Service Committee Holt International Children’s Service AmeriCares Mercy Corps Baptist World Aid US Fund for UNICEF Catholic Relief Services Holt International Children’s Services Organizational Capacity Building Korean American Sharing Movement Adventist Development and Relief Agency Mercy Corps
US Fund for UNICEF World Vision Rural Development Adventist Development and Relief Agency Education and Training American Friends Service Committee World Vision American Friends Service Committee
US Fund for UNICEF Water and Sanitation Environmental Protection Adventist Development and Relief Agency Baptist World Aid US Fund for UNICEF US Fund for UNICEF
Health Care Adventist Development and Relief Agency AmeriCares Baptist World Aid Catholic Relief Services Holt International Children’s Service Mercy Corps US Fund for UNICEF World Vision
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Glossary of Acronyms
Acronyms InterAction Member ADRA Adventist Development and Relief Agency AFSC American Friends Service Committee BWAid Baptist World Aid CRS Catholic Relief Services KASM Korean American Sharing Movement
Other Acronyms AAS Academy of Agricultural Services ACT Action by Churches Together CMW Central Medical Warehouse CFGB Canadian Food Grains Bank DPRK Democratic People’s Republic of Korea EBF Eugene Bell Foudation ECHO European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office EPI Expanded Program on Immunization EU European Union FALU Food Aid Liaison Unit FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FCNL Friends Committee on National Legislation FDRC Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee FFW Food for Work GAA German Agro Action IEC Information, Education, Communication IFRC International Federation of the Red Cross IMCI Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses KAAS Korean Academy of Agricultural Sciences KCF Korean Christian Federation KNECA Korean National Economy Cooperation Association NGO Non-governmental Organization PVOC Private Voluntary Organization Consortium SIDA Swedish International Development Agency UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organization
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Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
US Contact Field Contact Tereza Byrne Marcel Wagner Bureau Chief for Marketing and Development Country Director Adventist Development and Relief Agency ADRA DPRK (ADRA) International Munsudong 8-10, Pyongyang, DPRK 12501 Old Columbia Pike Tel/Fax: +850 2 3817 952 Silver Spring, MD 20904, U.S.A. Email: [email protected] Tel: 301-680-6380 Fax: 301-680-6370 Email : [email protected] Website: www.adra.org
Introduction to Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is a faith based NGO operational in 125 countries. ADRA’s mission is to meet human needs wherever they are found regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political association, in order that individuals and communities may be empowered to reach their full potential.
Adventist Development and Relief Agency in North Korea ADRA established its office in DPRK in June 1999 following a number of years of food aid support. Through a variety of projects, ADRA strives to improve the quality of life of the Korean people, especially the most vulnerable such as children. ADRA currently works in five provinces and undertakes a diverse range of activities under five primary focal points: Health Care, Nutrition, Economic Development, Rural Energy, and Development Research.
Health Care ADRA provides support to county hospitals through building rehabilitation and construction of critical elements for functional treatment and care, assistance (in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO)) with the provision and installation of essential medical equipment, and provision of essential hygiene and nutrition supplies. ADRA also supports child care institutions with building rehabilitation, equipment, provision of essential hygiene and nutritional supplies, and improved child care practices.
Specific projects: - Three County Hospital Rehabilitation, Beneficiaries 8,000, USD value 345,000 - County Hospital Nutrition and Hygiene Distribution, Beneficiaries 73,500, USD value 178,000 - Ryongchon Hospital Construction: Beneficiaries 70,000, USD value 730,000 - Nampo Babyhome Construction: Beneficiaries 350, USD value 54,000
Nutrition and Food Production Through its industrial bakery in Pyongyang, ADRA produces high quality fortified supplementary food aid products, like bread rolls, in collaboration with WFP (World Food Programme) and power biscuits for GAA (German Agro Action), which feed 48,000 children per
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day. ADRA also monitors the distribution of food aid delivered to the districts and counties of Pyongyang.
Specific projects: - Bread Roll Production, Beneficiaries 16,600, USD value 331,000 - Power Biscuits Production, Beneficiaries 32,000, USD value 106,000 - Local Food production of Rice Milk Blend, in collaboration with WFP: Beneficiaries 71,000, USD value 194,000
Economic Development ADRA is undertaking activities to assess the potential impact of the current economic adjustments on the business environment within the DPRK. ADRA has initiated a café in central Pyongyang to gauge the degree to which the environment is suitable for high quality service oriented businesses and any obstacles to profitability and potential investment. ADRA is using its experience in the food manufacturing sector to determine the viability of business models for light industry within the existing context. The profit of the café and the annexed shop is used to make the industrial bakery financially sustainable, thus providing the basis for further food production.
Specific projects: - Café with Capacity Building component, Beneficiaries indirect 48,600, USD value 84,000
Rural Energy ADRA has undertaken extensive research and development in rural energy technologies suitable to the DPRK context. ADRA has developed and tested a number of biogas applications from household level to agricultural level, with models to improve living conditions, cooperative farm productivity, and profitability.
ADRA has also developed solar technologies for water heating. Using local manufactures the technology has been designed and installed in a cooperative farm bath house in order to improve hygiene during the winter months. The technology is now being adapted for installation in a hospital to improve infection control in winter by providing a source of warm water piped throughout the hospital.
Specific projects: - Solar Water Project, Beneficiaries 850, USD value 27,000 - Genam Biogas Digester Construction, Beneficiaries 440, USD value 44,000
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American Friends Service Committee
US Contacts Field Contacts Randall Ireson Contact US offices DPRK Development Assistance Coordinator American Friends Service Committee 3590 Elderberry Dr. S. Salem, OR 97302 USA Tel/Fax: 1-503-364-9492 Email: [email protected]
Alice Andrews Acting Program Coordinator, Asia American Friends Service Committee 1501 Cherry St Philadelphia, PA 19102 Tel: 215-241-7149 Email: [email protected] Website: www.afsc.org
Introduction to American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) The AFSC is a Quaker organization which includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person, and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.
American Friends Service Committee in North Korea Promote and support increased food production through sustainable agricultural technologies. Promote and support increased cooperation and information exchange with North Korean scientists in agriculture, information technology, and other areas.
Program Description in North Korea American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) provides development assistance to the DPRK in order to help modernize and increase agricultural production through sustainable means. AFSC is assisting four North Korean cooperative farms with a total population of over 23,000. These farms are in the rice-growing western plains surrounding Pyongyang. Agricultural assistance has included urea and compound fertilizer, clear plastic sheeting and smaller quantities of herbicide, sprayers, and seed. Since 2000 AFSC has been working to develop the use of nitrogen fixing green manure crops for restoring and maintaining soil fertility, and to promote sustainable crop rotations and use of selected irrigation and crop handling technologies to increase yields and reduce crop losses.
In coordination with the North Korean Academy of Agricultural Services (AAS), AFSC has sponsored ten study tours for North Korean agricultural scientists to visit US, Chinese, Canadian and Vietnamese agricultural universities, farms and research centers. AFSC is currently supporting experimentation by the AAS and the farms to test biological sources of nitrogen fertilizer and alternate crop rotations. InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 10 September 2005
Sectors into which programs in North Korea fall * Agriculture and Food Production * Disaster and Emergency Relief * Education/Training * Rural Development
Specific locations of projects or programs 4 cooperative farms in South Pyong-an Province, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Research Center for Compound Microorganisms
Funding source Swedish International Development Agency; Evangelisher Entwiklungs Dienst (Germany); private donations
Scale of programs $370,000 annually, about 25,000 beneficiaries
Cooperative efforts with other local, international, or governmental agencies Mennonite Central Committee, Canadian Food Grains Bank, US Food Bank
Special concerns None. Programs are carried out though the Korean Committee for Solidarity With the World’s People.
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AmeriCares
US Contact Field Contact Frank Catania Please contact the Stamford office Director, International Programs Email: [email protected]
Michael Chang International Programs Associate Email: [email protected]
AmeriCares 88 Hamilton Ave Stamford, CT 06902 Tel: 203-6589500 Fax: 203-658-9604 Website: www.americares.org
Introduction to AmeriCares AmeriCares is a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization providing immediate response to emergency medical needs, as well as supporting long-term humanitarian assistance programs, for all people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion. AmeriCares solicits donations of medicines, medical supplies and other relief materials from U.S. and international manufacturers, and delivers them quickly and efficiently to indigenous health care and welfare professionals around the world.
AmeriCares in North Korea The objective of AmeirCares’ work in DPRK is to provide humanitarian aid primarily in the form of medicines, medical supplies, and nutritional supplements to the hospitals, clinics, and peoples of North Korea. AmeriCares has been working in North Korea since 1997 in partnership with the Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
AmeriCares Programs AmeriCares first started working in North Korea by responding to the emergency famine conditions caused by severe and alternating droughts and floods. Today, our on-going programs focus on the health care and nutrition sectors. AmeriCares sends approximately 2 large shipments of medical assistance per year and follows up with a site visit to monitor the distribution of each shipment.
Cooperative efforts with local agency Flood Damage and Relief Committee
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Baptist World Aid
US Contact Field Contact Paul Montacute or Lee Hickman Please contact the Falls Church office Baptist World Aid 405 N. Washington St. Falls Church, VA 22046 Tel: 703-790-8980 Fax: 703-893-5160 Email: [email protected] Website: www.bwanet.org/bwaid
Introduction to Baptist World Aid (BWAid) BWAid works through Baptist communities around the world, mitigating suffering and providing long-range help for persons in need regardless of religion, nationality, tribe or class. BWAid also helps poor people avoid situations of famine and malnourishment and improve their capacity for self-help and wage earning.
Baptist World Aid in North Korea BWAid works in partnership with Hungarian Baptist Aid, mainly in Sariwon. The agency’s priorities are working with national and local officials in improving the medical and children’s facilities. Food, medical equipment and medicines have been sent and distributed to the main hospital, children’s hospital and orphanage. Further shipments are underway, together with a water purification plant. The establishment of a biscuit factory is being explored.
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Catholic Relief Services
US Contact Field Contact Greg Bastian Mark Pierce Regional Representative for Southeast Asia Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Catholic Relief Services Pacific 209 West Fayette Street Catholic Relief Services Baltimore, MD 21201 239/2 Lumpini 1 Building Suite 42 Fourth Floor, Tel: 410-951-7369 Sarasin Road, Pathumwan Email: [email protected] Bangkok 10330 Thailand Website: www.crs.org Tel.: 662.650.5070 Email: [email protected]
Introduction to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Our mission is to assist the poor and disadvantaged, leveraging the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to alleviate human suffering, promote development of all people and to foster charity and justice throughout the world.
Working through local offices and an extensive network of partners, CRS operates on 5 continents and in over 90 countries. We aid the poor by first providing direct assistance where needed, then encouraging these people to help with their own development. Together, this fosters secure, productive, just communities that enable people to realize their potential.
As the official international relief and development agency of the US Catholic community, CRS is also committed to educating the people of the United States to fulfill their moral responsibilities toward our global brothers and sisters by helping the poor, working to remove the causes of poverty, and promoting social justice.
Catholic Relief Services in North Korea CRS works with partner organizations to provide humanitarian assistance and promote health programming in North Korea. CRS support health programming in North Korea in alliance with Maryknoll Missionaries South Korea and the Eugene Bell Foundation. Tuberculosis treatment centers which are under the jurisdiction of the DPRK Ministry of Public Health are given "support packages" that include a tuberculosis medicine package that is based on the Directly Observed Treatment System (DOTS), an x-ray machine and film, microscopes and slides for TB detection, as well as a small tractor/tiller, hand tools and a supply of seeds and fertilizer to grow food for the patients. CRS also is a regular contributor to Caritas Internationalis/Hong Kong appeals, which focus on humanitarian programs such as the provision of food assistance, medical supplies, education support, agricultural support, and capacity building. Caritas food inputs are coordinated with WFP, who appealed for 504,000 MT of food this year to assist 6.5 million vulnerable people. Caritas will focus on upgrading up to six country hospitals with basic medical equipment and supplies. The focus in the agriculture sector will be on supporting individual cooperative farms
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with input packages and providing plastic sheeting for seed propagation and vegetable cultivation.
Sectors into which programs in North Korea fall * Agriculture and Food Production * Disaster and Emergency Relief * Health Care
Specific locations of projects or programs The Eugene Bell foundation is supporting some 40+ TB hospitals and/or care centers in North and South Pyongan Provinces in western DPRK.
Caritas support is provided mainly to the provinces of Kangwon, South Hamgyong, North Hamgyong and Ryanggang.
Funding source CRS Private Funding
Scale of programs CRS contributed $50,000 to both EBF and Caritas Internationalis/Hong Kong in 2005 and has proposed the same for 2006.
Cooperative efforts with other local, international, or governmental agencies CRS works with partner organizations to provide humanitarian assistance and promote health programming in North Korea. CRS supports health programming in North Korea in alliance with Maryknoll Missionaries South Korea and the Eugene Bell Foundation. CRS also is a regular contributor to Caritas Internationalis/Hong Kong appeals, which focus on humanitarian programs such as the provision of food assistance, medical supplies, education support, agricultural support, and capacity building.
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Holt International Children’s Services
US Contact Field Contact David Lim, ACSW Please contact the main office in Eugene, Oregon Director of International Programs for Northeast Asia Holt International Children's Services PO Box 2880 Eugene, Oregon 97402 Tel: 541-687-2202 Fax: 541-683-6175 Email: [email protected] Website: www.holtintl.org
Introduction to Holt International Children’s Services Holt's mission is very simple: every child deserves a home of his or her own through a permanent loving family. Holt prevents the institutionalization of children through family reunification; family preservation; nutrition support; health and medical services; temporary foster care; food and shelter for displaced children; pregnancy counseling and shelter care for mothers at risk; as well as domestic and international adoption.
Holt International in North Korea The primary objective of Holt International's North Korea program is to ensure that children who are separated from their birth families, or who are at serious risk of separating from their birth families, receive adequate nutritional and medical support. Holt International's programs in North Korea focus on relief.
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Korean American Sharing Movement
US Contact Field Contact Gilbert Oh Please contact the Vienna office Program Manager
Jong Park Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors
Tel: 703-867-0846 Fax: 703-354-0427 Email: [email protected] Website: www.kasm.org
Introduction to Korean American Sharing Movement (KASM) KASM serves as an outlet for Korean-American communities to help those in need, both in the United States and abroad, as well as to lay the cornerstone for the future through youth and other education programs.
KASM in North Korea To help improve the welfare of citizens in North Korea and to assist in the process of reconciliation between the two parts of the Korean peninsula.
Sectors into which programs in North Korea fall Disaster and Emergency Relief
Specific Locations of Projects or Programs Ryongchon (site of train accident, 2004)
Scale of Programs Food and other relief aid in the amount of $11,518,187.60.
Cooperative Efforts with Other Local, International, or Governmental Agencies Ryongchon aid project was carried out in collaboration with Messengers of Mercy.
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Mercy Corps
US Contact Field Contact Nancy Lindborg Robert Barton Executive Vice President Senior Program Officer, East Asia Mercy Corps Mercy Corps 1730 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite 707 Tel: 82-11-9830-7591 Washington, DC 20036 Email: [email protected] Tel: 202-463-7383 Fax: 202-463-7322 Media contact: Email: [email protected] Eric Block Website: www.mercycorps.org Communications Officer Mercy Corps Tel: 503-450-1965 Email: [email protected]
Introduction to Mercy Corps Mercy Corps is an international relief and development agency that exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. The agency's programs currently reach 7 million people in more than 35 countries. Mercy Corps is a nonprofit organization with headquarters offices in Portland (Oregon), Seattle (Washington), Cambridge (Massachusetts), Washington, DC, Hong Kong and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided over $1 billion in assistance to people in 81 nations. Mercy Corps is known nationally and internationally for its quick-response, high-impact programs. Over 92 percent of the agency’s resources are allocated directly to programs that help those in need.
Mercy Corps in North Korea Mercy Corps is committed to peaceful change on the Korean peninsula and has been a leader since early 1996 in providing humanitarian assistance to the DPRK. Mercy Corps currently co- chairs the National Committee on North Korea and has provided food, agricultural inputs and medical supplies, facilitated training and exchange delegations between DPRK and U.S. practitioners, convened international conferences to increase coordination, participated in numerous global dialogues involving the Korean Peninsula and continues to formulate responses to the DPRK’s humanitarian crisis.
Agriculture and Food Production Starting in 2000, Mercy Corps has provided target farms in South Hwanghae and South Pyongan Provinces with more than 71,000 apple trees, 100,000 apple tree rootstock and 50 varieties of apple tree cultivars. These activities continue to the present, with the most recent shipment of
InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 18 September 2005
supplies having been delivered in March 2005. Experts from the Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University have provided consulting services throughout the lifecycle of the apple project and actively participate in assessment delegations to North Korea and technical training in the States. Each shipment of trees to North Korea has been very well received and well cared for upon arrival. The new orchards are serving as a model for other regions in the country.
In addition to the apple trees and rootstocks, Mercy Corps has provided select farms with high- quality inputs to promote new agriculture practices including 1,500 pounds of grass and alfalfa seed, 65,116 pounds of fertilizer, three windmills, over 23,000 pounds of vegetable seed, and barley & winter wheat seed for double-cropping. In March 2005 a shipment of 50,000 rainbow trout eggs and relevant equipment was sent as part of an aquaculture improvement program.
Emergency Relief Mercy Corps has provided emergency response to the flooding, drought and economic hardship that has plagued the DPRK for the past decade. Dating back to 1996, Mercy Corps has: · Distributed medical supplies, hygiene kits and food packs to over 35,000 families in the northeast region of the country; · Shipped over $25 million worth of critically needed medicines, medical supplies and food assistance to serve vulnerable populations throughout the country; · Distributed and monitored 305,000 metric tons of US food aid and $5 million worth of US medical supplies as part of the Consortium of Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOC). Mercy Corps served as chair of the PVOC and helped to coordinate a total of 35 U.S. food monitors that worked for as long as eight-month stretches in the first-ever deployment of U.S. PVOs inside North Korea.
Cooperative Efforts Three conferences on humanitarian assistance to the DPRK have been organized and convened by Mercy Corps, bringing together key leaders from the NGO, government, academic and public sectors to discuss new ways of addressing the DPRK’s humanitarian crisis, while promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Additionally, Mercy Corps was one of the initial organizations involved in the formation and currently serves as the co-chair of the National Committee on North Korea. Through these activities, as well as through continued efforts to facilitate technical and informational exchanges between DPRK and U.S. practitioners, Mercy Corps has taken a leading role in bringing together organizations in order to effectively address the pressing needs facing the DPRK.
Refugees International
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Contacts Field Contact Joel R. Charny Please contact the Washington office Vice President for Policy, Refugees International 1705 N Street NW Washington, DC 20036 Tel: 202-828-0110 ext. 206 Email: [email protected]
Introduction to Refugees International Refugees International generates life saving assistance and protection for displaced people around the world and works to end the conditions that create displacement.
Refugees International in North Korea Refugees International works to document the situation for North Korean refugees in China and advocates for China and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to work together to protect them. RI has called on China to stop arresting and deporting North Koreans who make their way into the country and to grant them some form of humanitarian status. RI also follows the situation for North Korean refugees in South Korea and has called on the South Korean government to accept more North Koreans for resettlement and to provide more sustained support to assist with their integration into South Korean society.
Other Advocacy on refugee issues.
Specific Locations of Projects or Programs RI has conducted assessment missions to northeast China and to South Korea.
Funding souce(s) RI funds this program through general revenue. RI does not accept government or UN funding and relies on contributions from private individuals, foundations, and corporate donors to fund its programs.
Cooperative efforts with other local, international, or governmental agencies RI carries out its North Korea advocacy in conjunction with InterAction's North Korea Working Group and the National Committee on North Korea.
Special concerns RI has been unable to get a visa to visit North Korea and assess the humanitarian situation inside the country. We plan to continue to attempt to gain permission to enter the country for an assessment mission.
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U.S. Fund For UNICEF
US Contact Field Contact Public Information Office 28 Munsudong U.S. Fund for UNICEF PO Box 90, Pyongyang 333 East 38th Street Democratic People's Republic of Korea New York, NY 10016 Tel: (850-2) 3817150 Tel: 212-686-5522 Fax: (850-2) 3817676 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Website: www.unicefusa.org
Introduction to U.S. Fund for UNICEF The U.S. Fund for UNICEF works for the survival, protection, and development of children worldwide through education, advocacy, and fund-raising.
U.S. Fund for UNICEF in North Korea In 2005, the overall focus of UNICEF’s program is to keep gathering efforts to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable population. Since 2002, some progress has been made in improving the nutritional status of the population, however, the situation in non- food sectors such as health, water and sanitation remains critical. In the current circumstances, the humanitarian interventions need to be continued, if not intensified, in order to continue life- saving assistance for the most vulnerable segments of the population, particularly children and women. The main program stakeholders are around 15 million children and women, including the programme on immunization for 2.5 million children under five, the safe mother-hood programme for 480,000 pregnant nation-wide, and the education programme for more than 600,000 girls and boys that live in the most vulnerable provinces as well as in orphanages. In order to meet this year’s goal, UNICEF has appealed for over $16 million.
Sectors into which programs in North Korea fall UNICEF’s key priorities are focused on delivering basic life sustaining services in health and nutrition; supporting critical prevention programs such as malnutrition, immunization plus, water and environmental sanitation and basic education; supporting the development of national capacity of service providers, caregivers and families through training, technical assistance, planning and monitoring; and planning effective responses to short-term natural disasters.
Education UNICEF is the only resident agency providing support to basic education, the organization aims to increase the availability of basic learning materials of the most disadvantaged primary schools. In addition, the development of training teachers in new teaching methods and learning assessments continues to improve the quality of education. UNICEF will work to improve the quality of the learning environment through the improvement of a basic education information system, which will aim to generate basic data for analysis and planning.
InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 21 September 2005
Nutrition In January, with UNICEF support, the Central Medical Warehouse (CMW) distributed two quarters quota of F100 therapeutic milk for the treatment of severely malnourished children. The April distribution which is now ongoing will cover the quota of the third quarter. UNICEF has delivered F100 therapeutic milk to health facilities in DPRK to treat more than 16% of the country’s severely malnourished children. Other nutrition activities include: training health staff and caregivers, providing technical assistance to Government and external partners, promoting breastfeeding, providing equipment for increased growth monitoring, distributing IEC materials, and supplying vitamin/mineral premix for food fortification done in collaboration with WFP.
Health Maternal health and safe motherhood: In the area of safe motherhood, a new package of UNICEF supplies on safe motherhood is being developed and endorsed by the Ministry of Public Health for distribution to focus counties and respective Ri hospitals/clinics. The inter-agency Safe motherhood taskforce which is headed by UNICEF is providing support to the Ministry of Public Health in developing a reproductive health strategy for DPRK. After successful implementation of the first phase of Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) in 2004, UNICEF will work with the MoPH and WHO in 2005 on the second phase early implementation in two pilot counties. Training will take place in June with the help of an external consultant from WHO regional office (SEARO). The consultant will also provide assistance in updating the guidelines for diarrhoeal and respiratory diseases.
Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) UNICEF will continue to fund EPI vaccine requirements and cold chain equipment in order to maintain gains in its polio eradication program and in childhood immunization. Such support will buy supplies to vaccinate 480,000 children under the age of one and 480,000 pregnant women. Also, two National Immunization Polio Days in October and November 2005 will target all children under five years of age.
Water and Environmental Sanitation Assessments have been completed with government counterpart on work to be done to upgrade water supply and sanitation facilities in children’s institutions in 4 focus counties. Supplies have been ordered for the upgrading of water supply systems in children’s institutions in focus counties of Yonsan, Rinsan and Unryul.
Scale of programs
Estimate of UNICEF Financial Requirements and Funding by Sector as of 30 April 2005
Sector US$ Health (Nutrition – Care for Children and 2,962,400 Women, and Micro -nutrient) Expanded Programme on Immunization 1,534,400 Essential Medicines and supplies for treatment of 4,540,260 severely malnourished children InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 22 September 2005
Safe Motherhood 1,413,440 Water and Environmental Sanitation 5,554,500 Education 900,000 Total 16,905,000
Cooperative efforts with other local, international, or governmental agencies In the abovementioned programs, UNICEF works in conjunction with the DPRK Ministry of Health and Education, the DPRK Government, WFP, WHO, UNDP, FAO, UNHCR, IFRC, the World Bank, international funds from the governments of Finland, United Kingdom, and Sweden, various other international organizations.
Special Concerns In the past, under-funding and late funding for UNICEF programmes in the DPRK has forced postponement of activities, slowed implementation of activities and reduced programme coverage. Shortfalls in funding can prevent UNICEF from providing adequate support and put children at greater risk of death and malnutrition. The excellent funding received in 2004 is helping to cushion under-funding in early 2005. However, funding is needed to provide for the coming months. This year, UNICEF outlined a request of just under US$ 12.1 million to support its humanitarian activities for the affected children and women in the country. While, UNICEF is thankful to the generous contributions received to date, which amount to some US$ 5.5 million, additional funds are required to cover the remaining funding gap of over US$ 6.5 million. Funds are urgently needed to procure essential drugs, conduct immunization activities, support nutrition rehabilitation and control micronutrient deficiencies.
InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 23 September 2005
World Vision
US Contact Field Contact Linda Hiebert Please contact the Washington DC office 220 I Street NE, Suite 270 Washington, DC 20002 Tel: 202-547-3743 Email: [email protected]
Media Contact Elaine Bole Media Relations Manager World Vision United States-DC 220 I Street NE, Suite 270 Washington, DC 20002 Tel: 202-608-1842 Fax: 202-542-4834 Email: [email protected] Website: www.worldvision.org
Introduction to World Vision World Vision International is a Christian relief and development organization working for the well being of all people, especially children. Through emergency relief, education, health care, economic development and promotion of justice, World Vision helps communities help themselves.
World Vision in North Korea World Vision’s objective in North Korea is to improve the lives of children and families through agriculture and food production, rural development and health care. Most World Vision projects are executed in partnership with the Korea National Economy Cooperation Association. In addition to KNECA, WV has developed a steady working relationship with FDRC (Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee). WV has shipped food aid to North Korea and relief supplies for Ryongchon people through FDRC. Currently, WV is managing 8 projects. Of which 4 projects are for agricultural development, 2 for food production, and another 2 for health care and emergency food aid. Vegetable fertigation The project is carried out in two project sites, Mangyongdae and Duru Island, in Pyongyang and produces 150 tons of vegetable a year in 5,800m of greenhouses using fertigation technology. Main products of the project are tomatoes and cucumbers and they are distributed to approximately 15,000 children in 39 children’s centers, schools, and hospitals nearby Pyongyang for about seven months a year.
InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 24 September 2005
Food for life (noodle factory project) WV operates 3 factories in cooperation with a new partner, FDRC (Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee). Noodle factories provide tens of thousands of noodle soup meals to children, the elderly and the hospitalized as well as jobs for thousand s more.
Seed-potato project World Vision provides farmers with the seeds and the technical assistance to grow virus- free seed potatoes. Funded through World Vision in South Korea with the support of the South Korean government, the project continues to increase food supplies on a national level, improving food security for much of the population. There are five project sites located in KAAS in Pyongyang, Daehongdan (north of North Korea), Jungju (west of North Korea), Baechun (south of North Korea), and Hamhung (east of North Korea). The target goal in 2004 is to produce 11 million. Seed potatoes produced in greenhouses are multiplied through replanting in the net-house and outdoor field. The year of 2004 is the first year of massive multiplication.
Vegetable & fruit breeding The objective is to transfer agriculture technology to North Korea so that it can be equipped with modern agricultural technologies and be capable of producing vegetable (for Kimchi) and fruit for people’s balanced intake of nutrition. There are two locations for the project, Vegetable Research Institute of KAAS (Korea Academy of Agricultural Sciences) in Mirim, Pyongyang, and Fruit Research Institute of KAAS in Sookchun, South Pyongan Province. The greenhouse is operational and vegetable seedlings of cabbage and radish are grown.
Hydroponic Vegetable Production: World Vision distributes 600 metric tons of vegetables to kindergartens, hospitals, schools, and elderly person’s homes in Pyongyang and nearby. Observations of children in kindergartens have been conducted in order to assess the benefits of the vegetables.
Child health & welfare WV supports a provincial pediatric hospital in Wonsan city, Kangwon Province, on the East Coast with basic medical equipment and medicines. WV also provides materials to update facilities such as heating, water system, and windows. The provincial pediatric hospital with 250 beds serves 2 cities and 15 counties in Kangwon Province. It receives 120 outpatients a day and takes care of approximately 3,200 patients a month including 200 inpatients. The population of Wonsan is 300,000 and the entire population of Kangwon Province is 1.5 million including approximately 370,000 children. WV is instrumental in training and capacity building Medical Personnel.
Emergency relief project The second shipment of food aid in FY04 was made in late April and early May. The items were lentils (165 MT/US$52,140) and vegetable oil (50MT/US$59,300). Lentils and vegetable oil were distributed to children in children’s centers, schools, and hospitals, and pregnant/nursing women in Wonsan and Hamhung. Additional food aid was distributed in August.
On April 22nd a train explosion occurred at Ryongchon station in North Korea. A cargo train with nitric and acid ammonium was touched by electric power by accident and exploded together
InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 25 September 2005
with another train with oil. As a result of the explosion, at least 162 people (including 67 children) were killed and 1,300 wounded. 30 buildings and 1,850 houses were destroyed and 8,000 were made homeless. WV promptly responded to the emergency situation and sent relief supplies through two channels in North Korea - KNECA and FDRC. Relief items were blankets, clothes, shoes, flour, vegetable oil, bottled water, etc. worth US$203,562 in total. All shipments were arranged in Dandong (a border city), China within 13 days of the explosion. WV also shipped GIKs of blankets, clothes, socks, shoes, kitchen utensils, and stationery in late May and early June from Incheon, South Korea to Nampo, North Korea
Samilpo health food factory WV supports the Samilpo Health Food Factory with machines and technical devices to set up new food production lines for noodles, rice cake slices, and biscuits. The factory provides food items to children in Pyongyang and neighboring areas.
Agricultural rehabilitation WV distributed 12 MT of soybean seeds for the production of vegetable oil to increase protein intake. WV provides high-yielding soybean seeds from Australia in order to reproduce and secure seeds for continuing soybean farming. The 12 MT soybean seeds are suitable for cooking oil production and protein intake. WV also shipped 24MT of fertilizer to help soybean growing. Half of the soybean seeds (6MT) were planted in Sadong area nearby Pyongyang and another half in other areas across the country.
InterAction Member Activity Report for North Korea 26 September 2005