World Concern and Operation Blessing are planning to ship two 40-foot containers of soy-enriched rice to Haiti in May. The food will provide over one million meals and will be distributed through the partners of the Association of HIV/AIDS (AHA) in Haiti to those who are most at risk in the current food shortage crisis.

Even though Haitian President Rene Preval promised a decrease in the cost of rice, market prices for the commodity have remained at all-time highs and prices for other foods continue to rise, according to Christon Domond, World Concern's country director in Haiti. He reports that at Cite Soleil, the largest and poorest community in Port-au-Prince, people go to bed without eating. Haitian radio is reporting that some resort to eating argile (earth) mixed with some salt made into a "pizza." "The country seems calm," Domond says, "however, there is evidence that something could happen anytime again because the living condition of the population continues to deteriorate."

The crisis for many in Haiti is more than hunger pains. Nutritional status has important implications in terms of vulnerability to diseases like HIV. "For those affected by HIV/AIDS, a lack of adequate nutrition interferes with the body's ability to fight off infection and respond to medication. Nutrition deficits lead to a faster disease progression and deterioration," says Alison Lindner, MPH, World Concern's HIV/AIDS manager. According to UNICEF, an estimated 5.6 per cent of people aged 15-49 years old in Haiti are living with HIV/AIDS, including about 19,000 children.

World Concern expected to receive food distributions from the World Food Program, but the WFP is facing severe shortages and has not been able to deliver grain to the stricken country. According the WFP statistics, Haiti has received only 21% of its assessed need for food assistance. The additional $10 million recently promised by the World Bank will probably lessen the shortage, not create new sources of supply, according to Merry Fitzpatrick, World Concern's relief director.