Just to dispel the notion that I may be out there slinging sacks of rice, or handing out cups of powdered milk to pot bellied children, well, my days consist more of attending numerous meetings, chasing down various funders and organizations, handing out business cards, making phone calls, emails, and pouring over endless documents and updates. One of things that I am learning about this situation is that what is true now may not be true in 2 hours. So the ground keeps shifting, no pun intended. This makes planning very tough, and adds to everyone's stress level. There are tonnes of people running around the UN compound in a virtual frenzy, trying their best to stay on top of things. I use that term loosely, because really this situation is way out ahead of anybody, and will likely stay that way for a long time.

For us in particular, the next planting season starts very soon, in a matter of weeks. So we have to start preparing yesterday, and do our best to ensure that farmers can make the very best of the season, and provide the much needed crops that will be harvested a few months from now. That will require a lot of preparation both on the ground and on paper.