In development work, the potato is perhaps a difficult sell when one humanitarian crisis after another calls for the world's attention and support. But in North Korea, the little yellow-gray screech is bursting with transformative power: it paves the way for less dependence on humanitarian aid.

Annelise Würtz spends her winters creating beautiful and refined figures out of paper strips. She donates part of the profit to Mission East’s work among malnourished families in North Korea.

”I have always been impressed by Mission East’s work,” Annelise Würtz says when asked why she chose to support Mission East’s work, when she back in 2016 with great enthusiasm began creating and selling paper strip figures – the so-called quilling figures.  

Mission East is helping North Korean families protect themselves against contagious diseases and produce more food – for the benefit of themselves and their environment.

By Line Højland, Communications Officer, Oktober 2017

The inhabitants of Taegok Ri village in the southeastern part of North Korea do not have enough food. That is why they cultivate as much land as they can – in the valley as well as on the surrounding hill slopes. However, their way of farming may have disastrous consequences.

Heavy floods in North Hamyong province have made thousands of people homeless. Mission East is one of the few international aid organisations in the area and provides clean drinking water and hygiene training so that the local population is not infected by dirty river water.

By Svend Løbner, freelance journalist

Kim Kyong Ok is sitting at the entrance to the tent that she inhabits together with her daughter and son-in-law. She is surrounded by a few modest objects – some cooking gear, a bicycle and a pair of shoes.