In the circle of drought, poverty and AIDS

By Janie Telling In general, for the region Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the food security situation seems to be rather patchy. That is to say that some countries are genuinely little affected by the crisis; others are seriously affected; and others seem to be affected according to reports from various agencies, but on the ground there is little information or impact assessment available from the local media or from our facilities. Malawi The food situation in Malawi continues to worsen. Household stocks of maize, the staple food in Malawi, are so low that some households have run out of their stored maize and must source it externally. The most vulnerable are children, grandparent and female- headed households. The areas most affected by the food shortage are southern and central areas, which are also the most populous. Malawi is facing a second year of severe food shortages. Contributing cumulative factors include poor climatic conditions, inadequate inputs in the last growing season and pre-harvest consumption due to last season's food shortage. The area surrounding SOS Children's Village Lilongwe is currently estimated to be suffering a 29.8% food deficit according to government figures. The SOS Medical Centre runs a nutritional clinic for the malnourished under-fives. This is a programme sponsored by WFP (World Food Programme) nationally and has been in place for a long time. The national director of SOS Children's Villages Malawi, Steven Bowler, reports, "This food crisis has and will continue to affect SOS Children's Villages Malawi negatively. There is going to be an increase of malnourished children reporting to the SOS Medical Centre and the current capacity may not be able to cope. Since the medical centre only assists children of five years and below in its current programme, there is likelihood of adults attempting to either get a share of the ration or denying the child food meant for it. It may be that only one child qualifies for the nutrition programme in a family of six or seven children, denying the others access to food. This will increase the problem of malnutrition among children in the area. This will result in more sick children and adults that will also put a lot of pressure on the medical centre. The town of Mzuzu where the second SOS Children's Village in Malawi is located - Photo: J. Telling The SOS Social Centre in Lilongwe will also be affected. The social centre has taken a developmental approach to childcare in the community. This means more community involvement in all aspects of childcare. The community has been made more aware of the need for them to support the child. This awareness has brought about a more supportive attitude on the part of the community. Through the social centre programmes, the community is actively involved in all initiatives aimed at supporting orphans and other vulnerable children. But with the food crisis at hand, the community will not be able to exercise their commitment to caring for the child. Most of them will be busy looking for food to support their families than assisting other children. Without any hope for food around, the spirit of community work is going to be eroded." Mozambique Mozambique is the most impoverished country of the world. Nearly 60% of the population live below the extreme poverty line according to United Nations statistics. This level of poverty means that individuals and families lack the basic needs for survival; water, sanitation, health facilities and food. The infant mortality rate is the second worst in the region after Angola. According to Jaime Alves, national director of SOS Children's Villages Mozambique, currently there is no official government emergency programme for the provision of food, despite the existing threat and actuality of food shortages. SOS Children's Villages in Mozambique have previously conducted an emergency food programme in Tete, and in Maputo during floods in 2000, SOS-Kinderdorf International funded the resettlement of some displaced victims as well as a limited food relief programme. At present, SOS Children's Villages and associated projects in Maputo, Pemba and Tete are not yet affected by the increasingly alarming food security situation. Zambia According to the national director of SOS Children's Villages Zambia, Charles Chabala, there are no local reports of food shortages in the country, and none of the SOS Children's Village facilities are being affected by shortages. Neither, he reports, have there been reports of drought conditions in the local media. The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to affect and infect increasing numbers of the population. Increasing numbers of AIDS orphans, where one or both parents have died and child or grand-parent headed households are evident, and will require extra support from external agencies as traditional community based support systems, such as the extended family, are already operating at the capacity of their coping mechanisms. Charles Chabala reports that the recently opened SOS Medical/Social Centre in Lusaka will be focussing its support on members of the local community who are particularly in need of assistance because of the affects of HIV/AIDS i.e. AIDS orphans and child or grand-parent headed households. He adds that the focus of the centre could be widened to include assistance in some small-scale form if food security is threatened in the area, but the targeted members of the community would remain the same. Fruits, a rare good in the streets of Bindura - Photo: J. Telling Zimbabwe The food situation in Zimbabwe is critical. There are shortages of basic foodstuffs, such as mealie meal (the staple), salt, sugar, cooking oil and bread in supermarkets throughout the country. Rapid inflation (over 180%) has put many other foodstuffs out of reach of the majority of the population. The HIV/AIDS pandemic also contributes to the scarcity of food available within the home as frequently the breadwinner is either too sick to work or has already died, leaving the family vulnerable and with a much reduced income. The poorly developed rural areas are worst affected, with particularly severe food crises being reported from the southeast and northwest of the country. The SOS Children's Villages in Bindura, Waterfalls and Bulawayo are suffering along with the rest of the country because of the lack of certain foods in the shops. Sometimes these foods are available elsewhere, but at exorbitant costs that are beyond the reach of the SOS mother's budget. The SOS Social Centre that has recently opened in Waterfalls is focussing on assisting AIDS orphans in a community near to the village, is providing food, shelter, clothing and education to the target group. SOS Children's Villages Zimbabwe hopes to set up similar projects in Bindura and Bulawayo in 2003. Janie Telling is regional editor of SOS-Kinderdorf International in the Southern African region of Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.