European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 20, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday May 20. 1986 the stars and stripes Page 9 photo ewer Law of if league of add Crow and Ped crw Cronl societies at left a Young Hoy at wad Sho Rifo refugee Tump la Sudan is nourished through a gastric lab. Photo Al right a boots displaced persons at a makeshift tillage in Fiao mull. Africa remains red Cross s biggest Challenge editor s note this a the Las in it series of articles on be International red Cross Byda Wollam staff writer Geneva. Switzerland although the photographs of malnourished children have faded from front pages life goes on to Africa much the same As it always has red Cross officials say our biggest work is in Africa said George Reid director of Public affairs for the league of red Cross and red Crescent societies about 2.25 million people Wen fed there last year. From Morocco to Mozambique we re highly operational.". The situation has improved he Caid. The red Cross spent about $200 million in Africa in 1935 it plans to spend around s13s million this year with the improvement however come additional prob lems. As the african situation improves contributions dwindle. Bui the Long term problems still need financing said Daniel Kirmer a league information officer. Interest has definitely dropped off Kinnear said. It he amount of  is directly proportional to the press coverage it  the Long term problems come to several forms. Although numbers Are difficult to Verity hundreds of thousands of people have fled heir homelands or Are Dis placed within their Homo countries because of wars or famines in Africa. There does t seem to be a logical conclusion to the growth of the number of refugees Kin car said. And there Are cultural problems that can t be solved quickly. Some of he african people Don t know what to do with Ine food they receive. Kinnear said some african nomads soaked the wheat they received crushed it wet and Teit. They All suffered constipation he said. The endless nature of some problems in Africa and underdeveloped countries elsewhere in the world is facing the red Cross to re evaluate its Job red Cross officials say. The league s Job technically is to provide Aid immediately after disasters and to rehabilitate which Means 10 get the people into the same living condition they were in before the disaster. But some situations Are Bleak before disaster Ever strikes. Things had been bad in Africa for years said Ann Marie Lafond a league information officer for Africa. The drought just brought it to everyone s  the red Cross tries to limit itself to simple inexpensive development measures. But even those efforts can take on massive proportions. Reid said the red Cross built some inexpensive abutments around Wells in Ethiopia. Someone came along and ordered 1 �,000," he said. Despite the continuing problems. Red Cross workers Don l believe they should stay there endlessly. Ann Naff editor of the league s newsletter explained that people receiving Relief can quickly become dependent on the league causing them to lose their incentive to develop local crops or other Means of feeding their Evvet. She also said handouts can have an Adverse Impact on local economies to the Sudan red Cross food deliveries arrived about the same Lime local crops were harvested and local merchants had trouble Selling local food. Food deliveries to a tilled number of places which forces the recipients to travel from their Homes disrupt the general order of the society Naef said. She also said the makeshift villages that tend to grow around the disbursal paints often create sanitation prob lems. Providing food also can Rob people of exerting their natural instincts to persevere Naef said. One should not underestimate the traditional resources to stand up to a  she said. People still know sum Val of a he fittest techniques Reid said staying or leaving becomes a moral question. Where do wars end and peacetime efforts begin he asked. Countries with critical food shortages recipients of red Cross food Are often told to cat it on the spot so red Crow workers Eui insure the food is consumed by the most needy. This distribution Center to in he Guerre province of Chad