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WFP APPEAL FOR SOUTHERN
AFRICA
WFP has just launched a 328 million euro appeal to support 1.5 million people a month in five southern African countries ravaged by the "triple threat" of food shortages, high HIV/AIDS rates and weakened capacity for governance Brussels/Lunzu, 21 October, 2004 - Standing quietly in the doorway of his sister's hut, Noel Muwononga pauses to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. But there is no real need. He already knows exactly where his sister is -- lying under a rough blanket in the corner, her thin face turned towards the wall. It is where the little Malawian girl has been for the past six months, bedridden and chronically ill. Setting a bowl of warm porridge down on the floor, Noel waits patiently for his sister to summon up the energy to eat. Many times in recent months he has feared that she would not survive, that she would become the twelfth of his thirteen siblings to die. But, although his sister remains weak and sick, Noel is far less anxious now. NUTRITIOUS PORRIDGE "The question of HIV/AIDS is clearly the main issue in Malawi now,"
says Paul Ginies, EU food security expert in Malawi. €328 MILLION WFP today launched a 328 million euro appeal to support a monthly average of 1.5 million people in five southern African countries ravaged by the 'triple threat' of food shortages, high HIV/AIDS rates and weakened capacity for governance. The three-year operation, requiring an immediate 51 million euro
to help people survive the ‘hunger season, in the first quarter
of 2005, is designed to support families and individuals who are
increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity and HIV/AIDS in Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia. Launching the appeal in the heart of the European Union, WFP's Regional Director for Southern Africa, Mike Sackett, said that southern Africa was on a downward spiral from which it could only escape if governments and the international community tackled problems head on. SCARS TO CARRY "The media spotlight may have moved elsewhere, but the people
of southern Africa will carry the scars of the last few years for
generations to come," Sackett said. “ WFP launched its first southern Africa emergency appeal, the one
from which Noel's family benefited, in July 2002. TENS OF THOUSANDS RISING DEATH TOLL According to the UNDP Human Development Report 2004, 17 countries in the world had negative Human Development Index growth between 1995 and 2002. Eight of them were in southern Africa, including Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia (covered by the appeal), which does not bode well for those struggling to meet Millennium Development Goals by 2015. ONLY TWO EURO TO LIVE ON In addition, an average 80 percent of people across Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia each live on less than two euro per day. Two-thirds of the populations of Swaziland and Lesotho live below the poverty line. About one-third of the funds needed by WFP will support food relief,
while two-thirds will be used to mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS
and alleviate chronic food insecurity. ERRATIC WEATHER Almost two million people in Lesotho, Swaziland and Malawi will
again rely on emergency food aid in the first half of 2005 due to
the drought-induced failure of the 2004 harvest. NO MONEY TO BUY FOOD As a result of the hardships of the past two years, few households have resources left to sell to purchase food on the open market, meet the rising cost of education and healthcare or invest in agriculture. "The ability to access critical amounts of food remains one of the biggest challenges faced by millions of people in this region every day, and clearly the magnitude of the problem is far outstripping the ability of countries to cope," Sackett said. "This is why governments have asked WFP to set up these programmes to ensure the most vulnerable people have the best chance possible of rebuilding their livelihoods," he added.
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