US $114 m for coalition’s AIDS and famine campaign

Three aid agencies have joined forces to combat food shortages and HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa, the religious news service Crosswalk reported on Monday. World Vision, CARE and Catholic Relief Services received a US $114 million grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on 22 January to provide emergency food distribution, agricultural support and development training in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. "Our immediate goal is to save lives by getting food to people as quickly as possible, especially those communities decimated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic," said Steve Goudswaard, regional programme unit manager for the coalition, called the Consortium for Southern Africa Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE). Besides targeting the region with direct food assistance, C-SAFE will work to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, Goudswaard said.