Sir, - I have recently returned to Zambia after a break of six months. before I left, the World Food Programme representative told us that they would not continue giving food for our hospice and home-based care programme because it was linked to a hospital which should be concentrating only on curative activities. The WFP suggested that if I rewrote the project to make it separate from the hospital it would continue giving the food - for dying patients in our 25-bed hospice, 650 patients in the compounds and approximately 700 orphans. Since I assumed the WFP would need time to process the change of project I left a cheque for approximately £3,000, from funds given to me by friends in Ireland, to cover the food needs of these patients for the month of April. On my return I discovered that not a single item of food had been given by the World Food Programme.
I spoke with the country director of the WFP and she explained that it was current policy to give food for people who could get up and work and develop themselves - and that for a period of one year, after which they should be able to produce their own food! I asked: "And what about the people who will be dead of starvation before the year ends?" "Not our priority," she replied. She also mentioned that the World Food programme is only an umbrella organisation which carries out the wishes of member states, mainly in Europe and US. Does our Irish Government, which boasts of a thriving economy known world-wide as "the Celtic Tiger" really support what is going on here at grassroots level? Is the Government aware of what is happening to the thousands of people who have HIV infection and not even enough nourishment to keep them alive for a little bit longer?
I appeal to the Minister responsible to please take action. We are aware of our own history little more than a century-and-a-half ago, let us not allow the same fate happen to the people here, when a stroke of a pen could make such a difference. - Yours, etc.,
Sister Eileen Keane, Ndola Ecumenical Hospice Association, PO Box 70235, Ndola, Zambia.