Media Contact Information
To arrange an interview with any of care's experts, please contact Cynthia Glocker or Susan Atkin at 404-681-2552, EXT. 453/203
Allison Tuffs, East Timor Nutrition Expert
Allison Tuffs is a CARE nutritionist working on the humanitarian emergency in East Timor. Just prior to this assignment, Tuffs was running an emergency nutrition program working in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
"Providing the right types of food to the East Timorese is vital at this stage, as the local people currently have no means of obtaining their own supplies," Tuffs says. "The traditional distribution centers -- shops and government food supplies -- were looted and at least 30 percent of the area's crops have been destroyed," Tuffs concludes.
Already, about 100,000 people have made their way down from the mountains back to the city of Dili and it's Tuff's job to determine whether, and to what extent, these people are suffering from malnutrition.
"Hidden hunger is a serious problem, and a major killer for children under the age of 5," Tuffs says.
"We want to help people in East Timor by initially giving them rice and maize, and stopping a potential famine. CARE's supplementary feeding programs will add iron, folate, iodine and vitamin A necessary for a good diet."
Tuffs, in cooperation with the United Nations and other aid agencies, will also look at the long-term solutions needed to enable the East Timorese to become self-sufficient and grow their own food again.
She will work in partnership with the East Timorese community to determine what types of crops to plant, to ensure that the people receive the nutrients and proteins needed to keep them healthy.
"We'll be here for as long as we're needed, giving the people of East Timor some extra assistance to get back on their feet," she says.
Isam Ghanim, Regional Director for Asia & Europe
Ghanim directly supervises eight CARE country offices in South and Southeast Asia as well as oversees development funding to 11 other countries in the region. Prior to his current position, Ghanim was deputy director of CARE programs in East Africa and the Middle East. He also served as the state director for CARE India in West Bengal where he was responsible for overall direction, policy and management of the country office. Moreover, during his 12 years with CARE, Ghanim has lived and worked in Somalia, Sudan and Kenya. He is a specialist in both agriculture and economics.
Bob Laprade, Deputy Director for Asia & Europe
As deputy director, Bob LaPrade oversees program quality issues, advocacy and emergency-related activities in North Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the Caucasus countries (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan). LaPrade has been with CARE for more than 10 years. He most recently served as country director in Sudan and has first-hand knowledge of the famine and the effects of U.S. economic sanctions. During his time with CARE, he has also worked and lived in Mozambique, Angola, Somalia, Thailand and Nepal.
