A humanitarian crisis is ravaging North Korea, affecting health, education and communication. The Catholic Church and activists are sponsoring effective long-term projects that are targeted. North Korean refugees are enrolled in integration programmes.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – North Korea’s humanitarian crisis is not only about food shortages but also includes violations of basic human rights like the right to health care, education and communication. In order to confront the crisis Caritas Korea and Caritas Internationalis are sponsoring a number of initiatives in the North in the fields of health (tuberculosis and medical facilities) and food (food supplements for patients, drinking water). Both charities are also trying to develop more long-term cooperation and pilot projects in the social field (involving people with disabilities as well as children).

Recently the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that North Korea is experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis, especially in the more remote rural areas. In order to better know the country’s conditions and what the Church and Catholic volunteers are doing AsiaNews spoke to Wolfgang Gerstner, consultant with Caritas Korea in the CI-DPRK programme.

“In North Korea there is a broad chronic humanitarian crisis,” Mr Gerstner said, “but no clear data available,” adding that the “last planned WFP-survey end of 2008 was cancelled by North Korea.”

“During my last visit [to North Korea] at the beginning of May there were no visible signs of it [food shortage].” However, that “is because outsiders have no chance to talk to ordinary people and move freely.”

The situation in agriculture remains uncertain and the country depends on “food aid from the United States and China.”

Some people survive because they “have their house gardens or slope fields; some make money on the local markets by trading” without relying “on the Public Distribution System which chronically fails.”

The Caritas official said that the crisis is not only about food but is also about “health, education, communication, etc.”

For this reason the Catholic organisation is trying to work locally by sponsoring small-scale, long-term projects.

“We are trying [. . .] to find more long-term cooperation and pilot projects in the social field (persons with disabilities, children).”

At a broader level Catholics are also helping North Koreans who flee the hardships of their country’s dictatorship. They have set up four shelters that can house two to six people. They also have three counselling and assistance centres.

Once in they have fled the North the “main difficulties [. . .] young North Korean refugees” face “are related to integration and adaptation to a competitive [and] rough South Korean society where personal relations and clique behaviour are also prevalent.” (DS)

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