Supporter: Lila Wade

In North Korea, Mercy Corps programmes focus on alleviating hunger by expanding agricultural production. We also invite North Korean officials to the U.S. as part of building a humanitarian bridge between our country and theirs.

I recently talked about our work in North Korea (also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK) including what it's like to host North Korean officials here in the U.S. with David Austin, a programme officer responsible for managing Mercy Corps programmes in North Korea.



Q: First, can you give us a little history? When and how did Mercy Corps begin working in North Korea?



David Austin: Well, Mercy Corps has had programmes in the DPRK for about 15 years. Our work began in 1996 when a North Korean diplomat to the UN began reaching out to aid agencies requesting help with agricultural production as there was a famine occurring in the country. One of the calls he made was to the late Ells Culver, who co-founded Mercy Corps. His response: "Sure! Let’s get started."

Q: What kind of programmes do we have there?



A large portion of our work remains centered on agriculture — improving 
growing techniques and encouraging the bio-diversity of crops. In 2000, Mercy Corps supplied 35,000 apple cuttings to orchards in Qwail County to boost production, which began an ongoing project revolving around apple production.

Since that first shipment, we have sent an additional 200,000 apple rootstock which have been propogated into more than 900,000 apple trees. Our hope for the future is that Mercy Corps can help communities begin making value-added products like applesauce, apple cider or dried fruit bars.

We have also helped on smaller crop projects on an annual basis, such as grass seed, potatoes, poplar trees and fish farms.

When there have been extraordinary circumstances, Mercy Corps has helped in times of crisis, such as providing medicines during the floods of 2007, food crises in 2008-2009 and, most recently, Mercy Corps was part of a USAID-funded initiative to bring medical supplies and electricity to hospitals in North Korea.



Q: What did this hospital initiative entail?


Mercy Corps purchased and installed five generators in five different hospitals in South Hwangae provinces with the help of volunteer electricians from here in Oregon. We then returned to monitor how the new generators were put to use and to assess the hospitals’ material
needs.
Finding the hospitals short on many basic supplies, Mercy Corps arranged for the delivery of several ultrasound machines, X-ray units, power conditioners and other needed supplies, such as operating beds and operating lights. I was able to visit the hospitals myself right after these supplies were delivered along with Nancy Lindborg, Mercy 
Corps' president.



Q: But there's a diplomatic element to our programmes as well, right?



Yes, you might say that we deliver more than just direct assistance. Through our aid work, Mercy Corps plays a unique role as a relational bridge between people in the United States and people in the DPRK. The nature of our work helps create these relationships, because it creates common ground. For instance, most of our work centers on agriculture. Agriculture is a science, which is, by nature, apolitical. Cooperation on these non-controversial fronts creates a space for engagement that will one day, we hope, open a window for the political opportunity.

Q: Tell me more about what you mean by a "relational bridge."


The relationship that Mercy Corps has built has been an incredible asset. By building trust, we have been provided with opportunities to take leadership in times of crisis, such as the famine in 1997 and most recently in 2008 and 2009. Normally, aid organisations don’t operate in the country, but because of our relationship with officials there, Mercy Corps and a few other non-governmental organisation (NGOs) were given unprecedented access. We were able to feed 890,000 people for eight months and crisscross the country visiting with the people who received the aid. We had open access to the areas we served, and in many cases we were
the first encounter North Koreans ever had with an American. 


Q: But constructing a bridge to such an insular country can't be easy.

That's true. Few North Koreans are permitted to leave the country, but we have had the unique opportunity of inviting members of the Korean American Private Exchange Society, part of the government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to visit the U.S. These visits have been enriching experiences. They have given us the privilege of facilitating dialogue between state and local officials. Through these trips, we are able to extend the hospitality of our organisation, present new ideas about our vision for the future and show that there are many similarities between our country and theirs.

Q: What do North Korean officials do when they visit?



They visit our city, meet civic, political, business and academic leaders whose work or interests might inspire or assist the North Koreans. Over the course of their visit, we may take them to visit the World Forestry Centre, Oregon State University, and a national forest, the kinds of places where they can meet with experts on deforestation and agricultural productivity — two issues that the DPRK must address to reduce poverty.


We aim to build relationships and to facilitate the exchange of information. Our hope is that when these officials leave they will have experienced a deeper connection to our organisation, our donors, our city and the vision we have. Hopefully, this helps them understand the many opportunities there are to expand our work into new areas in their country through a deeper partnership.

Q: What's the hoped-for result of these partnerships?



Our hope is that the years and resources we spend in North Korea will relieve suffering today, and lay the groundwork for deeper relationships in the future. It makes a difference that we are a U.S.-based organisation because we invariably represent our country when we are there. Although we are not on a political mission, we are seen as Americans. Thus, our programmes and history in the country serve as a reminder of what is good in our country.

I have heard many survivors of World War II break down in tears of gratitude for the food and aid they received from the United States after the war was over. By providing aid in North Korea, who knows what kind of friends we’re creating for the future? But I'm sure that these relationships will be of lasting value.


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The three young philanthropic entrepreneurs who are raising "Lemon Aid" to help Mercy Corps efforts around the world. Photo: Lila Wade/Mercy Corps

The sound of young voices calling “lemonade for sale,” is frequent on my summertime bike rides home from work. Yesterday, I was surprised to hear “lemonade for sale, benefit for Mercy Corps.”

I stopped, less thirsty than curious to find out how these kids from my neighborhood knew about Mercy Corps. Well, they explained — after pouring me a brimming paper cupful — they’re raising £90 for Mercy Corps, and the money will be due in August. So far, they’ve earned £60 from their stand, as well as a circus they put on for their neighbors.

These philanthropic self-starters — Ella, Connor, and Vincent — went into business this summer after one of their mothers received an email invitation to participate in Mercy Corps' MPower programme. She told me, “I was going to send requests to family members and friends, but then I got to thinking, why not get our neighbors involved as well?”

Also, by reaching out locally, she could lean on her team of willing helpers, giving them a great opportunity to be community activists. On their poster —written in marker — Ella, Connor, and Vincent, inscribed, “Be the Change,” a slogan they already understand better than most.

After chatting for a while, I left feeling incredibly refreshed, not just from the beverage, but also about Mercy Corps’ prospects for the future.

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"Haiti needs everything," declared Mark L. Schneider, senior vice president of the nonprofit International Crisis Group, during a visit to the Mercy Corps Action Centre in Portland last month.

"Most of all," continued Schneider, who by his own count has visited Haiti more than 100 times, "Haiti needs help regaining the capacity to meet its needs independent of outside support."

Even before the earthquake, Haiti was a failed state. Only 15 percent of children went to public schools. The country ranked 13th from the bottom on Transparency International's corruption index. And four out of five residents were classified as poor, with half of those destitute enough to be considered "extremely poor."

Photo: Mercy Corps

The quake weakened Haiti’s already ineffectual government. Nineteen administration buildings collapsed and a quarter of Haiti’s civil servants died. More than 900 police officers were killed or did not return to their jobs.

"Haiti’s government, already weak, does not have the capacity to reconstruct the country," said Schneider. But true disaster recovery includes helping Haiti meet its own needs.

Mercy Corps is responding to Haiti’s need with relief programmes designed to help communities become self-reliant.

For example, to supply families in tent camps with water, Mercy Corps encourages the development of local water economies, instead of giving water away.

Mercy Corps staff seek out vendors who already sell water and then make a deal: we’ll purchase large quantities of water, and then distribute vouchers to families, which they can redeem weekly for a portion of that water.

Sure, we could arrange for tankers to deliver water, or erect a pipeline to pump it in. But, after we leave, communities would be left high and dry once more. This way, families receive water, water vendors earn an income, and the local economy creaks into gear. We hope that once we leave, the water enterprises should remain and prosper.

Another capacity-building activity relies on one of Mercy Corps’ core values: letting locals lead. Mercy Corps allows communities to decide which infrastructure-improvement projects, such as road building or clearing away rubble, would be beneficial.

Mercy Corps starts by contacting local leaders, calling a meeting, and offering to fund a project to revitalise the area. Then, the staff leaves and lets the locals hold their own meeting to decide what project they prefer. Through this process, communities learn to cooperate, leaders emerge and an ad hoc decision-making structure is born.

The project that the community selects has the additional benefit of boosting economic activity, in addition to improving local governance.

Reviving Haiti’s economy and nurturing community governments won’t happen overnight, says Schneider. "Still, all I can hope is that we stay the course." He adds, "The Haitian people are desperate to see their lives improve. They are willing to make incredible sacrifices to see that happen -- but first, they need our help."

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