[Africa] Hunger, Aids, poverty – the vicious cycle

From Reuters Alert Net

As a serious food crisis looms in southern Africa, relief and development agency World Vision says that people will face hunger again and again unless underlying causes are addressed.

“As we mark World Aids Day, the international community must focus its attention on the looming food crisis in southern Africa, whilst also addressing its long-term causes – including the Aids pandemic currently devastating countries such as Malawi and Zambia,” said Stephen Doughty, a World Vision Policy Adviser.

Nick Wasunna, a World Vision Emergency Officer, has just returned from Zimbabwe where the role of Aids in the food crisis is evident. “I saw queues of people at food distribution centres,” he said. “After talking to them you discover they are all affected in some way by HIV.

"The impact of HIV/Aids across the region cannot be underestimated,” he continued. “When a family cannot work or grow food because carers are sick or dying from Aids, the problems facing them and their community are severely compounded. Children, especially girls, drop out of school as they are required to look after dying family members.

“The long-term impact is an uneducated, unskilled and poverty-stricken generation that will continue to emerge and this will impact negatively on the development of southern Africa. It is estimated that in some communities between 10-20% of the workforce can be inactive or reduced in effectiveness due to the pandemic – either through direct infection or caring for others.“

World Vision today launches an urgent appeal for countries threatened by a severe food crisis across southern Africa. Across the region 12-14 million people face hunger with the scale of the crisis at its most severe in Malawi and Zimbabwe.

HIV/Aids, recurrent drought, chronic food insecurity and political instability have all contributed to threaten millions of lives across the region.

World Vision is already one of the largest long-term development and relief NGOs operating in the region. The ongoing emergency response will focus on immediate needs such as food distribution, livelihood recovery and the continuation of long-term programming that tackles the chronic causes of food shortages, chronic poverty and HIV/Aids.

“In 2002, action by NGOs including World Vision and the UN World Food Programme prevented a full-blown famine,” said Stephen Doughty. “We remain hopeful that if enough resources are provided by governments and the public, disaster can be prevented again.”

“But the long-term causes must also be addressed – even if the rate of HIV/Aids is reduced, the effects of the current extent of the pandemic will continue to severely impact on communities in the short to medium-term. The international community needs to hold true to its promise to deliver universal access to care, prevention and treatment, quickly and effectively.”

Members of the public can contribute to the appeal by calling 0800 088 088 or donating online at www.worldvision.org.uk