“North Korea, with a population of about 23 million, has suffered acute food shortages for more than a decade.  United Nations and World Food Programme reports show that between two and three million North Korean children (infants to age five) consistently fail to receive the nutrients vital to their physical and mental development.  The result has seen the emergence of almost an entire generation of youngsters whose growth is stunted.

First Steps’ founding director Susan Ritchie was deeply moved by the plight of the children she saw as the interpreter for a Canadian government delegation that travelled to North Korea in 2000.  She was particularly affected at a home where a nursing mother didn’t have supplemental nutrition to feed her malnourished twins.  Susan vowed to herself to do something, and on her return to Vancouver she and other volunteers set about launching First Steps.  Susan’s fluency in Korean and understanding of Korean culture has been vital to gaining local trust and co-operation in First Steps’ mission”.

After sending over a container of Pablum in late 2001, which supplied nutrition to babies at an orphanage and paediatric hospital in Kangdong county, there sphere of influence continues to grow.  They have since provided 27 VitaCows and 36 VitaGoats

children receiving nutritious soy milk in North Korea

throughout North Korea.  Each of these highly efficient machines works in essence as a large pressure cooker to process raw soybeans into highly nutritious and protein-rich soy milk.  75 000 children are now the recipients of this liquid gold EVERY DAY!

While we realize that our contribution is merely a drop in the bucket, Better Baby Bums has recently donated 81 BPA-free baby bottles to help feed children in North Korea.  We are reminded of the story of the man who is walking along the beach during an ebbing tide.  He observes a young boy who was one by one throwing sea stars that had been left on the scorching rocks back into the cool waters of the ocean.  ”Young lad,” he says, “don’t you see that there are hundreds of sea stars all along this beach?  What difference can you possibly make?”  The young boy, wise for his years, replies, “but sir, I am making a difference for that one”.

If you would like to help, or to learn more about First Steps, we would like to encourage you to check out their website.