Military

DATE=12/02/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=FOOD/AFGHAN SURVEY (L-O)

NUMBER=2-283784

BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN

DATELINE=GENEVA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The U-N World Food Program is beginning a house-to-house survey in the Afghan capital, Kabul, to assess needs and register people for food aid. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports that the W-F-P says food distribution to hundreds-of-thousands of needy people will start once the survey is completed.

TEXT: The World Food Program has hired 36-hundred Afghan workers to carry out the week-long survey in Kabul. W-F-P spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume says about 24-hundred women are among the new recruits.

/// BERTHIAUME ACT ///

These women right now, those two-thousand 400, have been hired to go door by door, go inside, check what are the needs, register the people, give the registered cards so they can come and pick up food.

/// END ACT ///

The most unusual aspect of this project is the participation of women. When the Taleban was in command, women were not allowed to work. Ms. Berthiaume says this prohibition created great problems, making it impossible on many occasions for the U-N agency to distribute food to the most needy.

Once the registration process is complete, she says, the W-F-P will announce the distribution places where families can go to pick up 50-kilograms of wheat. This supply is enough for one month.

She says the W-F-P plans to distribute food to more than one-million people in Kabul. She notes the Afghan capital is one of the places in the country where U-N workers are able to distribute food without putting themselves at risk.

Unfortunately, she adds, the dangerous security situation in other parts of the country is hampering the delivery of food to many needy people.

/// BERTHIAUME 2nd ACT ///

As far as security is concerned, obviously it is very difficult and W-F-P will not bring food into areas where there is no relief worker, either W-F-P or N-G-Os. We will not do it because we would be too scared that the food could be looted. Security is difficult. There are no-go places.

/// END ACT ///

Ms. Berthiaume says the W-F-P is trying to feed 17-thousand very vulnerable people in camps close to Spin Boldak, southeast of Kandahar, but security concerns are making this very difficult.

She says other no-go areas include Herat, in western Afghanistan and the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. (SIGNED)

NEB/LS/ALW/RAE