Mozambique Refugees

Scott Kraft has looked beyond the stories of war and political conflict in his article on Mozambique (Part I, Aug. 16) to bring us the grim picture of the true victims of political strife--the refugees. Too often their story is left untold or buried within the head count of those who have lost their lives in the conflict--as so often seen in Afghanistan and now, Mozambique.

A massive, international relief effort has narrowly averted a human tragedy that began as an eerie echo of the Ethiopian famine. But the Mozambique crisis is far from over.

In the short term, emergency food aid is critical. Civil war has disrupted farming so severely that the 1987 cereal harvest in Mozambique is projected to be only 40,000 tons--just 6% of what is needed to sustain the population.

But in the long-term, Mozambique must deal with a broken infrastructure and the displacement of some 1.5 million farmers. Only long-range agricultural planning and assistance can solve those problems.

World Vision is providing agricultural assistance to 162,500 Mozambican families, providing them with emergency food supplies, tools, seeds, fertilizer and other supplies.

But if the Mozambicans are ever going to get back on their feet, the international aid community--including the American people--must go beyond providing emergency assistance to help them become self-sufficient.

KEN WATERS

Communications Director

World Vision

Monrovia