>
>1/30/96
>
>Dear Jose,
>
> Thank you for your very humanitarian message.
> As you have read and seen on my Home Page the problem in North
>Korea is critical. If massive international support is not forthcoming, we
>will have a famine there on our hands. Innocent people will suffer from
>malnutrition and disease may spread. Apart from the humanitarian concerns,
>such a situation may cause instability that will not benefit anyone.
> On my last trip in November, I distributed directly to people in
>villages, clothes, blankets, powdered milk and shoes. I saw however the
>low stock of rice in the village storage bins and was told that the top
>priority indeed was rice. So I investigated and learned I could order rice
>from abroad to be shipped to Nampo port for $250 a ton which feeds 75
>people for one month. It is the most economical and most effective aid we
>can give the North Korean flood victims right now. Many people are giving
>socks or bananas or canned goods or cups of noodle. It is much
>appreciated, for the sentiment, but not the value. Rice is really the most
>effective.
>
> This campaign should be for cash to buy rice. If you collect and
>contribute the cash and wish me to purchase and distribute the rice for
>you I would provide you film and video documentation of the distribution.
>I would designate your rice as a separate contribution, designated for
>distribution to a particular village or county and publicly announce (with
>video evidence) that this came from your organization. You would also
>receive letters of gratitude from the people there and the Flood
>Rehabilitation Committee.
>
> I will leave for North Korea on March 1 and plan to distribute
>the rice directly to the villages in the first week or two weeks of March.
>Cash contribtions should reach me by February 10, no later than February
>20--for this trip. Although I may go again two months later, this is the
>crucial period.
>
> In South Korea, Seoul National University collected $10 from 130
>students for our project by placing posters on the campus. A Church Group,
>Hope Worldwide, sponsored a marathon race and collected $7,500 which they
>donated to us for the purchase of rice. These are some ideas. You could
>also take some of the photos off my Internet page for publicity purposes.
>
> Whether you are able to contribute or not, I wish to thank you for
>your warm heart and generous spirit.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Bernie Krisher
>
>-------------
>
>You wrote:
>
>
>>Dear Bernie
>>
>>
>>We are a group of faculty, staff and students from Oregon State University
>>which
>>is concearned about problems of peace and human rights, or ohter social
>>problems of the World. We are interested in making a campaign to gather
>>food or
>>other goods to help people in North Korea.
>>
>>Can you please tell us what are the most important needs and how can we
send
>>help from the US.
>>
>>Please reply to Jose' de Bettencourt, bettencj@ucs.orst.edu,
>>Address: OSU, 104 Ocean Admn. Bldg., Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
>>telf: office 541 737 4414 home 541 754 2801
>>
>>Thanking you for your efforts,
>>
>>OSU Faculty Staff and Students for Peace
>
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