CERF allocates nearly $575,000 in response to the food crisis in Lesotho
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| Food distribution by WFP in Lesotho[Photo: WFP] |
19 February 2009: Lesotho’s last drought left 400,000 people with an acute food deficit and the poor harvest in May 2008 did not stabilise the situation. Over the years, food productivity in Lesotho has been on the decline. Currently, 70 percent of the food requirements are imported and over 75 percent of the country’s population lives in rural areas, dependent on subsistence agriculture.
In crisis situations, sex for food and sex for cash favours is common. For Lesotho that has the third highest HIV prevalence in the world, sexual violence is not only creating misery but is also a strong driver of the epidemic. In addition, the increasing prices of food and other commodities are negatively affecting households with low purchasing power, especially those infected by HIV/AIDS.
In response, CERF is allocating funds for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Food Program (WFP). UNFPA will work to prevent and manage gender based violence caused by the vulnerability of the food crisis in Lesotho. WFP will provide life-saving food assistance to vulnerable households in areas of high food insecurity and HIV prevalence.
[Last updated: 20 February 2009]