America At War:
Aid for Afghanistan
With Abigail Spring
Spokeswoman, U.N. Food Program
Monday, Oct. 15, 2001; 2 p.m. EDT

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is currently moving food convoys from all possible entry points into Afghanistan, including from Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iran. The food first goes to urban areas where the WFP warehouses are located and then is distributed to more rural areas by local Afghan staff.

Since Sept. 11, the WFP has distributed more than 15,000 metric tons of food feeding nearly two million people inside the country. The organization is intensifying efforts to move enough food into Afghanistan to feed 7.5 million during the winter months.

A transcript follows.

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Abigail Spring: Since last Sunday when the military campaign began, the WFP has moved 5000 metric tons of food into Afghanistan from all possible corridors including Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkemenistan and Iran.

Washington, D.C.: Are efforts being made to provide traditional food to the Afghan people? I saw reports that refugees have refused to eat the pop-tarts and peanut butter that has been sent, all they really want is rice and beans.

Abigail Spring: The food you're referencing is part of the humaniatarin daily rations known as HDR's which is what the U.S. military is airdropping. The World Food Program is delivering wheat.

East Lansing, Mich.: U.S. Media gave me the impression that these people were "starving." It's now common knowledge that the food air dropped is being fed to livestock and "dumped onto the ground". Kind of untypical of a starving person.

Abigail Spring: As far as I know thousands of people in Afghanistan are eating the humanitarian daily rations. There is always some waste, some people who will not like the food and will not eat it and those people clearly are not starving. But there are over seven million people inside Afghanistan who are primarily relying on international food aid for survival.

Lansing, Mich.: There is much speculation on the O'Reilly Factor and other news shows that W.F.P. food actually ends up in the hands of the Taliban and their army. Very little actually ends up in the hands of the common Afghan. What is your take on this?

Abigail Spring: WFP has been feeding the poorest people in Afghanistan for over twenty years. Before the World Trade Center crisis, the WFP was feeding nearly four million of the poorest people inside the country. We are feeding hundreds of thousands of women through bakeries in which we provide subsidized flour. The bread is actually baked by women (One of the few places that women are allowed to work in Afghanistan) and distributed to the poorest economic households in urban areas. Fifty percent of the people we feed are women and children under the age of five. The reason we are the largest food aid agency in the world is because we have an excellent reputation in distributing and monitoring our food.

We have no reports indication diversion of food for the hungry. While it has never been an easy operation, working with the Taliban, diversion has not been the issue.

Silver Spring, Md.: How is the W.F.P. ensuring that food gets to the target populations? Also, is W.F.P. working through international NGO's for food distribution at this time, or have NGO's suspended cross-border operations?

Abigail Spring: It's a good question. First, all foreign staff including U.N. staff and NGO staff. On Sept. 12, all foreigners left Afghanistan including those who worked for the U.N. and international relief organizations. Before the crisis the WFP was working with 150 relief agencies (NGO's) in Afghanistan. We could not do our work without the assitance of these groups on the ground in Afghanistan. Today, we continue to work with three hundred Afghan nationals who were trained by the WFP in humanitarian relief work.

Our WFP Afghan staff are bravely continuing to unload trucks, store food in our warehouses and to distribute the food to the most hungry throughout this current crisis. We have intermittent communication with our local staff in the country. In addition, we can confirm reports from our truck convoy drivers that the food is reaching our desired destinations.

Washington, D.C.: I know there's no chance we're going to convince the U.S. to stop bombing Afghanistan, and it seems likely that this "war" will continue through the winter. Is there ANY chance that we can prevent hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of Afghanis from starving to death? Is there anything I can do to help? I'm sick to my stomach thinking about how many people are going to die because of our war.

Abigail Spring: Every day WFP is increasing the amount of food it's bringing into the country. We're hoping to be able to truck in over 52 thousand metric tons of food per month by the end of November. We will attempt to feed 7.5 million of the hungriest Afghans throughout the upcoming winter months. There is no question there are many obstacles but we feel fairly certain that if we can continue with our truck convoys we will be able to stave off famine. In addition, we are planning to conduct U.N. airdrops in the central highlands starting in mid-November. This is the main area which will be completely cut off from road transport during the snow season. We will attempt to feed about 100 thousand families via airdrop this winter.

If you want to help, the best thing to do is keep informed and if you are able to send money, whether it's to the U.N. W.F.P. or other relief groups, do so. Information on how to give is on our Web site: www.friendsofwfp.org. It will also give you updated information on what's going on in Afghanistan.

Washington, D.C.: What challenges are you facing with regard to the terrain in Afghanistan. I understand it's very difficult to truck in food.

Abigail Spring: During the winter, the central highlands are virtually impasable by road during November, December and January. There are about 100 thousand families living there who rely on food aid for survival. We are stockpiling some food there now and plan on conducting U.N. airdrops during the winter. The majority of the roads in the country are accessible even in the winter months.

Abigail Spring: We have already moved 5000 metric tons of food into the country from neighboring countries.

Alexandria, Va.: It has suggested that the food packaging looks a whole lot like the packaging for chemical water supply contaminants that the Soviets used during their occupation of Afghanistan. Is this true, and was there any research done to suggest an ideal packaging solution (both look/color and ease of opening)?

Abigail Spring: The U.S. military is airdropping humanitarian daily rations (HDR's). HDR's are packaged so that they do not explode on impact and to allow the maximum number to fit in airplanes. They are designed specifically to be light and sturdy and to carry the maximum amount of food per package. They were actually created for food airdrops in Bosnia.

Ann Arbor, Mich.: What percentage of your program's budget is provided by the United States? Thanks for your time.

Abigail Spring: The WFP was founded by the USA in 1962 and ever since 1998, the U.S. has been our number one donor providing over 50% of our budget. Last year WFP's budget was $1.7 billion and in Afghanistan the U.S. has provided over 80% of our humanitarian needs in Afghanistan.

Schenectady, N.Y: There have been reports that the food we are sending to the refugees is considered 'western' and not what they are used to eating. Are we changing what we send? It appears that the items they are requesting, such as wheat and rice, would be cheaper anyway.

Abigail Spring: The majority of food that the WFP is moving into Afghanistan is wheat. Wheat is the traditional food in Afghanistan. We also send in some other commodities such as vegetables, beans, vegegtable oil and a wheat soya blend which is particularly good for children.

Abigail Spring: I believe there's some confusion on the part of the general public over who's delivering what type of food.

For the record, the U.S. military is airdroppping humanitarin daily rations (HDR's). This food is vegetarian and is contains roughly 2300 calories. The typical meal would contain some type of pasta or lentil, peanut butter and some type of biscuit or bread. These military airdrops are completely separate and independent from U.N. food deliveries. The U.N. World Food Program -- my organization -- is planning to use airdrops in the winter months. However, to date we have been moving massive amounts of food via truck convoy only. Most of the food we deliver is wheat and it targeted to the poorest living inside Afghanistan today. Some other relief agencies may be distributing other types of food, but the majority of food reaching millions inside the country is being distributed by WFP and it is mostly wheat.

Lansing, Mich.: Seeing that now a large portion of the Afghan population has fled and is now in make shift cities along the borders, how has the dynamics of your relief effort changed?

Abigail Spring: The humanitararian crisis facing Afghanistan continues to be primarily a food crisis inside the country. We have yet to see the expected influx of over one million refugess crossing the border. While that may happen, today the humanitarian crisis remains inside the country. The biggest obstacle facing WFP in the movement of populations within the country means that it's harder for us to reach those in need.

Abigail Spring: Thank you for your interest. In general, please keep informed by checking out our main Web site which is www.wfp.org.

washingtonpost.com:

That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

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