CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Action by Churches Together (ACT) will provide 1,000 metric tons of barley seed to North Korea this month, in time for the barley planting season. According to ACT, given favorable weather, these seeds could yield more than 10,000 metric tons of barley. Another shipment of barley is en route to North Korea, sent by a coalition of U.S. agencies including Lutheran World Relief (LWR).
ACT will also provide fertilizers and pesticides, and an ACT shipment of 250 metric tons of rice will reach North Korea in April. ACT is a worldwide network of churches, including the Lutheran World Federation, meeting human need through coordinated emergency response.
The source of the 630 metric tons of barley sent by LWR is Peterman Seeds of Hawley, Minn. Merlyn Peterman, a member of Hawley Lutheran Church, arranged to provide two varieties of barley from farms in Minnesota and North Dakota. "Both varieties did well in North Korea last year -- better than Chinese varieties that are also available there," Peterman said. "Two varieties mean that not all the eggs are in one basket," he said.
LWR works in overseas development and relief on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
ACT has issued an appeal for $4.5 million in response to acute need in North Korea. In 1997 ACT delivered assistance totaling $2.6 million.
In addition to bulk food aid and seeds, ACT plans to supply special nutritional food for children and essential medicines, vitamins and basic medical supplies for clinics and hospitals.
The international assistance to North Korea in 1997 helped avoid a major disaster despite the country's significant food deficit, ACT reports. The crisis in North Korea is linked to consecutive years of flooding, severely reducing food production. Another factor, ACT says, is the disappearance of the old "communist block" which formerly had a positive effect on the country's economy.
The prospect for 1998 is as grave as last year's. The food aid requirements for North Korea's population of 23 million are estimated by the World Food Programme to be 1 million metric tons. The "seriously endangered public health sector" needs seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and medical supplies, according to ACT.
The assistance from ACT will be distributed through the North Korean Public Distribution System, monitored by ACT-related staff.
A shipment of 50,400 quilts from Lutheran World Relief has been licensed by the U.S. government for use in North Korea. The quilts will go to children in feeding centers, orphanages and pediatric wards, LWR reports.
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
