USAID pledges US $100 million for most vulnerable

Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia, the three countries hardest hit by a region-wide food crisis, are set to benefit from a US $100 million grant to assist in funding emergency and supplementary food distribution. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) pledge to World Vision, CARE and Catholic Relief Services will be used to develop long-term programmes to strengthen the coping mechanisms among people in vulnerable communities to future food shortages. The grant - a combination of food and financial aid - is being awarded a week after the United Nations and the World Health Organisation released a report citing HIV/AIDS as a key factor in the region's food crisis. World Vision said in a statement that the food could be used as a focal point for mobilising people and communities towards increased HIV/AIDS awareness. "The funds will address those gaps that the governments and the World Food Programme cannot get to because of the lack of resources. It will focus on special food distributions and supplementary feeding programmes. Children and female-headed households will be prioritised. Also, improved access to health services and water is of utmost importance," CARE's Regional Director for Southern and West Africa Chris Conrad told IRIN. Under the USAID-funded programme, two million people in the three countries would be assisted every week, Conrad added. Close to 15 million people across Southern Africa are affected by the severe food shortages, mainly due to consecutive bad harvests. The pledge is one of the largest emergency aid grants to help address the crisis.