ShelterBox responds to emergency situations by providing boxed kits to support 10 people for six months.

First Steps executive director Susan Ritchie contacted ShelterBox founder Tom Henderson in Cornwall, England, after it became clear that at least 90,000 North Koreans had lost their homes in the flooding.

Henderson, who is also executive director of ShelterBox, quickly indicated his group’s willingness to help and arrangements are underway to air-freight an intitial 200 ShelterBox units to DPRK by mid-September – that’s enough to house 2,000 people. First Steps intends to place them in Kangwon province, one of the hardest-hit areas and where First Steps also has soymilk production operations.

Each ShelterBox holds a 10-person tent; thermal blankets and insulated ground sheets; waterproof ponchos and bin bags; a multi-fuel stove; cooking and eating essentials; water containers and water purification tablets; and a basic tool kit.

It’s expected Ritchie will accompany a ShelterBox team that will assist with set-up and monitor distribution of the boxes.

 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.

Kathi Suderman, MCC’s Beijing-based northeast Asia representative, joined us on our latest visit to see first-hand where and how FS operates. Kathi, her husband Rod and their three children have lived in Beijing for nine years and were three years in Taiwan before that. Their roots are Canadian Prairies but they’ve fully adapted to life in Asia.

MCC is a North America-wide relief and development service agency that was founded in 1920. It is supported by Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches in the U.S. and Canada. MCC’s Canadian headquarters are in Winnipeg.