CERF allocates more than $4.7 million to the drought affected population in Lesotho
The Kingdom of Lesotho has seen the worst drought in over 30 years because of erratic rainfall during the crop season from January to March 2007. The damages to the maize, sorghum and wheat crops were so serious that on 9 July the Government issued a disaster declaration.
According to the June 2007 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the current national cereal production is estimated at 72,000 tons for a population that would in fact need about 328,000 tons. The 2007 production represents a 42 percent decrease compared to that of 2006, with the maize crop decreasing by 51 percent.
The drought led to severe malnutrition levels. Underweight resulting from malnutrition for children younger than five years old reached almost 20 percent and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare acknowledges that nearly five percent of the 2,632 children admitted to public hospitals in 2006 were severely malnourished, while 24 percent were suffering from acute watery diarrhea (AWD). Almost two thirds of the health centers have no access to safe water.
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| The cereal harvest, of which the largest part is maize, Lesotho's staple food, has been slashed by over 40 percent. [Photo: IRIN] |
There is an increasing vulnerability because of the food insecurity, which in turn is due to a reduction of the agricultural production, land degradation, unemployment, high levels of poverty, the spread of HIV/AIDS and rising food prices. As a result, Lesotho is facing a livelihood crisis rather than a traditional food security crisis.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is using its $1.5 million CERF funding to provide food assistance to 130,000 people in the southern lowlands and the foothills of Lesotho from September to October. Beneficiaries include households that have either lost all their crop, have only limited agricultural income opportunities or have no other option but to buy their food. To do this, the WFP is providing 2,900 tons of food commodities.
With a CERF allocation of almost $1.7 million, FAO is supplying agricultural inputs, such as good quality seeds and fertilizer, for the 2007/2008 season to 20,000 vulnerable farming households through input trade fairs. Families with access to garden plots are receiving only vouchers for seeds and tools. The FAO is also providing vouchers to the Maluti Hospital in order for the health facility to expand its assistance to orphans and other vulnerable children.
The United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is using its CERF grant of $710,000 for life-saving therapeutic feeding programmes and to address the underlying causes of malnutrition. The UN agency is providing priority food and water supply, sanitation, and hygiene commodities to 200,000 people, including 80,000 children and 120,000 pregnant or lactating women in therapeutic feeding centers it is setting up or supporting.
WHO and UNFPA will provide support to the Government in order to mitigate the health effects of the severe food shortage crisis on the most vulnerable populations. The agencies will administer therapeutic feeding for severe and acute malnourished children and other vulnerable individuals such as people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), pregnant and lactating women; support the clinical management of water related diseases, diarrhoeal diseases and sexually transmitted diseases; provide primary health care services including delivery kits and crash training in Emergency Obstetrics care to enable midwifes in rural health facilities, birth attendants and families of expectant mothers to conduct safe and clean deliveries.
[Last update: 27 August 2007]
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