Report from Ethiopia: "Outcome of Food Crisis Yet to be Written"

[LWR President Kathryn Wolford is in Ethiopia assessing the severe food crisis there with the heads of Catholic Relief Services and the aid agency, Africare. Here is part of her first report filed March 13 from Addis Ababa.]

Ethiopia, March 13, 2003 -- "We entered homes with literally nothing more than a cooking pot... I saw one child, aged three, who was the size of a one-year-old...and realized we were seeing what could happen more and more frequently if adequate food assistance and other support are not forthcoming. It is hard not to think about [the famine of] 1984-85 and make comparisons.

"Good news today is that the current Ethiopian government is being pro-active... working with NGOs to meet the needs. Ethiopian society is contributing too, for example, we visited a group of school children that are assisting their 'brothers and sisters' in need.

"The bad news is that 11.3 million people - more than in 1984-85 - are at risk."

For Wolford's full report, visit Full Report from Kathryn Wolford. The members of the Lutheran, Catholic and African-American delegation will report on Ethiopia's food needs and prospects at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 18, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. EST.