Jacquie (L) and Deborah Harden with Seo, Sang-ok and VitaGoat their family donated.
Tues., July 24:
Our party of 10 arrived at Pyongyang airport. On the way into the city we saw little vegetable gardens everywhere. Jacquie and I went for a walk before dinner to the Juche Tower and took photos just to prove we were really in North Korea.
Wed., July 25:
We visited a site in nearby Hyongjesan where soymilk is made. The determination of the women who direct the operation was made evident by the building they had erected there to house the VitaCow equipment. Unfortunately, they were also dealing with a leak in the roof. Getting building materials seems to be a regular challenge in North Korea.
Thurs., July 26:
On the way to Nampo we stopped at a co-operative farm to inspect a VitaGoat. They were making great use of the equipment, running the machine 18 hours a day and feeding 2,200 children per day. In Nampo, we visited an orphanage with a VitaCow that was supplying 136 children, plus the 52 staff and their families. They also use the machine to make baby food from fruits and vegetables. These machines are versatile and can be used to process foods other than soybeans.
Fri., July 27:
The staff at the Nampo Foodstuff Factory came in to produce soymilk for us even though it was the “Victory Day” holiday. They have four VitaCows and they produce 1.5-to-2 tons of soymilk per day. At a nearby clinic, Susan interviewed four pregnant women who were taking the micro-nutrient Sprinkles. They looked well, as did the infants who were also taking Sprinkles. In the afternoon, we made the five-hour drive to Wonsan on the east coast.
Sat., July 28:
We headed south to visit Tongchun and stopped for a great swim on a beautiful sandy beach. In Tongchun, the staff came in on its afternoon off to demonstrate their use of the new VitaGoat there. It was apparent that First Steps was highly regarded and we received royal treatment everywhere we went.
Sun., July 29:
Today was the trip’s highlight for me, interacting closely with the children at a Wonsan orphanage as we played a soccer game together. The gentle manner of the nine and 10-year-olds was evident in how they played, more caring of their fellow players than they seemed to be about winning. Still, they loved to score and celebrate goals.
We heard from caregivers that since the children began receiving soymilk they have had more energy and fewer sores on their skin.
Mon., July 30:
We made the long trek back to Pyongyang and did some sightseeing while Susan had a final meeting with officials from the Institute of Child Nutrition.
Tues., July 31:
We headed off on the journey home. On the long stopover, Susan entertained us in her second home, the Beijing airport! The visit to DPRK confirmed all the positive things that my mother, Marg Loden, had told me about First Steps. It was a life changing experience for me to see first hand how the provision of desperately needed nutrition can be provided sustainably by hard-working people who have been given the equipment to do the job. I will never again say the line in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” without remembering the children of North Korea.
