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Something is clearly wrong with Gabriela.

At fifteen months, she should be walking by now¡Vor at least taking her first delightfully wobbly steps. Her life should be one of discovery on this warm Angolan morning.

But Gabriela doesn't walk. She's tiny¡Vhardly bigger than a newborn. It doesn't take more than a glance to understand why. Gabriela is nursing¡Vhungrily¡Vfrom her grandmother's dry breast. Elana Cassinda is 50 and struggling to keep Gabriela alive."She sucks from me, but just to suck,"she says of her tiny granddaughter."We have no milk."

Elana's daughter-in-law, Lurdes, died during Gabriela's birth. She left behind Gabriela and a three-year-old son.Today Elana has come to Lunge to get the protein-packed cereal and vaccinations Gabriela needs to survive.

Elana is serious about her task. She walked for two days carrying Gabriela to reach World Vision's distribution of food, seed, and tools. ¡§I walked all night long,"she says."I came because of the baby's health situation." She came because they have no food.

This grandmother's story is echoed by many other women across the broad central plateau of Angola¡Vonce a place of plenty and perhaps one of the most blessed agricultural areas in southern Africa. HuamboProvince was Angola's breadbasket, growing maize, beans, cattle, and coffee. Enough even, to export. Now the basket is empty.

In 1975, independence from Portugal and an ensuing struggle for political power threw the country into a nearly 30 year civil conflict. Millions of Angolans went on the run, dodging bullets and bombs.

"During the war, we were displaced,"says Elana."We went to [nearby] Bailundo, but it wasn't safe. Then we had to go to another place. I've run most of my life. I grew up running away,"she says."When the war started,we stopped having a permanent address." During the conflict schools and health centers closed. Farms languished. Crops died." It was a long story," says Elana."Sometimes you could cultivate but then the war could come and you'd have to run."

And now people are reduced to walking."We can't go out to where they are¡Veverything is mined,"says Jonathan White, operations director of World Vision Angola, of families such as Elana's."They have to come to us because of the mines and broken bridges."

Today, four years after the April 2002 peace agreement, malnutrition is still at crisis proportions in pockets of Angola that are inaccessible to the humanitarian community. A recent study by the World Food Program found that malnutrition is stunting growth in more than half of the children under five in Angola's central highlands. Stunting is irreversible. It leaves children physically and mentally scarred. The study found that close to a million people are chronically food insecure in the area¡Vsome living on one meal or less per day. The preponderance of uncleared mines keeps people from farming¡Vunless they are willing to die trying.

"Most people eat two meals a day, but many only eat one," says Jonathan."As the hunger period continues, they make those meals smaller. When we started our relief interventions, people were surviving on bananas. They'd make porridge or dry them."

World Vision's work in the region couples food aid with nutrition and agricultural development."We focus on crops like legumes, groundnuts, and beans¡Vrich in protein,"says Jonathan."We work with community seed banks. People return their original investment plus 50 per cent more."

"We supported 1.5 million people over the last two years [partnering] with USAID. We've produced over 5,000 tons of seeds."

"You've got to have the integration of food aid¡Vhe support through the first harvest,"says Jonathan."But the sustainable solution is through agriculture and nutritional education. Otherwise, people are just condemned to a vicious cycle of chronic poverty."

Poverty and hunger are taking their toll on Gabriela. She cannot keep the porridge inside her frail body. It immediately exits her body as diarrhea. World Vision health manager Dr Ana Mangueira says this is typical."Frequent diarrhea is a sign of malnutrition,"she says.

Gabriela sucks again from her grandmother's dry breast. She gets no calories,only consolation.

"Things are improving in terms of resettlement,"says Elana,"but our main problem now is food and having the means to survive."

And yet this grandmother has a reason to hope."God is the almighty. He's always taken care of us,"she says."When I'm suffering, I ask God to relieve my sufferings. When things are alright, I just say thanks."

But today, Elana is appealing for help."I pray to God to take care of this baby as he's taken care of me. My major concern is this little child."with that, Gabriela stretches out her tiny hand as if reaching out for help.