North Korea

North Korea faces poverty and frequent natural disasters. Red Cross projects have helped to tackle both.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Sixteen million people suffer from malnutrition in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – also known as North Korea. The country is also prone to natural disasters.

In DPRK, people must produce their own food or face going hungry. But floods and landslides often destroy crops, causing food shortages. The country needs to produce one million tonnes more food each year to feed its 24 million people.

Many forests have been cut down over the last decade in an attempt to increase the amount of farmland. But these trees had helped keep the soil in place and absorb water. Without them, there are even more landslides and floods.

Reducing disasters by planting trees

The DPRK Red Cross is the country’s largest humanitarian organisation and is well known for supporting communities in need. The British Red Cross has pledged to support them until later in 2018.

The Red Cross is working with communities on a large-scale tree planting project to reduce landslides and flooding. They will also train local people on ways to grow more food and produce more seeds.

This is part of a larger project to reduce the impact of disasters. The Red Cross also helps people get clean water and effective sanitation. 

Health as well as wealth

Staying healthy also helps people cope better, and the project included support for mothers and pregnant women, as well as first aid training.

We raised awareness about common health problems such as malaria and TB, and even supported cooking courses where families could learn how to enjoy a healthier diet.

New water pumps and latrines, as well as vital hygiene information, helped cut the risk of disease.

Community members played a big role in helping plan the work and keeping the new water systems in working order.