The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies has announced that it is in the process of preparing for an appeal to cater for one and half million people affected by the current food insecurity situation in the region. It is feared that approximately ten million people will be in need of food security support in the next few months, the Federation has announced during the launch of its World Disaster Report 2005 in Johannesburg.

“Southern Africa is currently facing a serious food crisis. Livelihoods have been eroded by a number of causes which include economic stagnation, weak States governance, decreased formal employment opportunities, inadequate agricultural policies, adverse climatic factors, environmental degradation and, more recently, the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS,” said Francoise Le Goff, the head of regional delegation in southern Africa.

“Given this gloomy background, the Red Cross as a leading humanitarian organisation, is in the process of preparing to launch a regional Food Security appeal for seven countries in the region which include Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe,” she said. The final negotiations are going on with other stakeholders such as WFP for a coordinated response to this crisis.

The initial food aid programme intends to target individuals and households in the following categories, people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS (OVCs), chronically ill including tuberculosis patients, elderly, disabled, pregnant and lactating mothers, school going children and in larger sense members of vulnerable communities.

In addressing this likely crisis, the Red Cross believes that while immediate food assistance is needed to save lives of vulnerable households, promoting interventions that will enable vulnerable households to rebuild their coping mechanisms should be given priority. The proposed intervention intends to respond and build the capacity of the most vulnerable with programmes that focus on the medium-term priorities of agriculture rehabilitation and food security resilience.

By Tapiwa Gomo
Johannesburg