Non-food items needed to mitigate crisis

There was urgent need for "tens of millions of dollars" for non-food items to combat Southern Africa's humanitarian crisis, the United Nations said on Friday in its mid-term review of the 2002/03 Consolidated Appeal (CAP). Judith Lewis, Regional Coordinator for the UN Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, said agencies had so far "been able to stave off a humanitarian tragedy of unparalleled proportions" in the region through the generous support of the international community. "But this is an extremely complex crisis, which is inextricably linked to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and it cannot be cured by food alone. We are still facing massive shortages of crucial non-food items," Lewis said in a statement. The region is suffering following a combination of consecutive droughts, failed government policy and the impact of HIV/AIDS. In July last year UN agencies along with implementing partners and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) launched a regional appeal for US $611 million – US $507 million for food and US $104 million for non-food items – to address the humanitarian needs of 12.8 million people in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland. To date, the total response amounts to just under US $350 million – of which more than US $320 million has been for food. But by August 2002, following vulnerability assessments, aid agencies estimated that the number of people in need in the six countries had risen to 14.4 million. The review said the latest assessments pegged the figure of those in need at 15 million. "Not only does the UN need continued food donations over the next months, but to help get the region back onto its feet, we must see increased and immediate pledges for vital relief items such as water, sanitation and educational supplies, agricultural inputs and medicines to fight off disease, HIV/AIDS in particular, which is threatening to tear apart southern African societies," Lewis said. The UN noted that not only had HIV/AIDS affected millions of people across the region - which suffers the highest levels of the disease in the world - but it was also preying specifically on women, who formed the backbone of African society, acting as caregivers, farmers and breadwinners. Several million orphans had been created and grandparents were caring for families with increasing numbers of children. HIV/AIDS was killing agricultural knowledge and capacity and teachers and health care workers were being lost at a distressing rate, the review statement noted. If urgent, multi-sectoral measures were not taken to start tackling the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its impact on societies, the region would not be able to recover from the current crisis in the short term, let alone be able to develop in the long term. But to launch these measures, continued and diversified assistance was urgently required from the international community. "Without continued assistance on all fronts, this battle cannot be won," said Lewis. "We need all the weapons at our disposal to help millions of vulnerable families survive this crippling crisis and begin the lengthy and arduous process of recovery."