Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies - 27 August 2002
Grethe Ostern in Livingstone, Zambia
Likezo and millions of other children in southern Africa have sick and dying parents who are no longer able earn money to feed their children. In the rapidly developing food crisis, these children are becoming forced to fend for themselves.
Lumano and Matale live in a shantytown outside of Livingstone in the hot, southern province of Zambia. This year's drought has caused a near complete crop failure, a situation that has been compounded by two to three consecutive years of meagre harvests, very high unemployment levels and soaring food prices.
Parents here are worrying about their children going to bed hungry at night, and are working even harder to find food for them. Lumano worries about feeding his daughter too. He worries a lot. A dusty blue hat sits on Lumano's bedpost. Above it hangs a blue jacket, some trousers and a pair of handcuffs. On the wall are photos of Lumano in happier times when his wife was still alive. One photo shows him in his uniform taken when he was still had his job as a policeman and could still afford to provide his daughter with food every day, books, pens and a uniform so that she could go to school.
He looks strong and proud in the photos. Now he needs help just to take them down from the wall to show them to us and tell us about how life used to be. "It's difficult. I used to be a policeman. Now I have to beg to survive. When I am too weak to go myself, I send my daughter. If no-one gives us anything, we just go to sleep like that," says Lumano.
Likezo is washing the dishes in the garden outside their house. When her mother was still alive they used to grow vegetables here, but Likezo hasn't been able to do this on her own. The many tasks she's had to take on since her mother's death has also meant that she has had to leave school.
"When my mother was alive, my father was a bit sick, but things were okay as my mother was still there, and I really liked going to school. Now I don't feel happy anymore," says Likezo, drying her tears on her skirt. "If it had not been for Likezo I would have died a long time ago. Who would have taken care of me? My life depends on her," says Lumano. "It is not right. I should be taking care of her. It is just the two of us. If I die myself, I don't know what will happen to her. She will really suffer." Assisting people like Lumano with supplementary food can save their lives, and ensure that they are able to continue to care for their children for a few more precious years or months.
"When I don't eat I feel weak and sick. As soon as I have something to eat I feel better. The beans, kapenta (dried fish) and high energy protein supplements that the Red Cross sometimes brings me, make me feel much better. But it does not last for more than a few days. I share it with Likezo of course," says Lumano.
Lumano was 24 years old in 1992 when southern Africa last experienced a harsh drought. Ten years later, this food crisis is unfolding against a grim backdrop: southern Africa is now the world's most severely HIV/AIDS affected region; in some districts up to 30 per cent of adults are living with the illness.
The combination of the food crisis and HIV/AIDS has a particularly severe impact on the millions of households affected by HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. For people living with HIV, lack of food weakens their immune systems and leads to accelerated development of AIDS, secondary diseases and death.
The International Federation is assisting the Red Cross in southern Africa to scale up activities targeting families affected by HIV/AIDS. In Zambia the Red Cross has a home-based care project that targets households affected by HIV/AIDS, and assistance includes supplementary food. However, in Livingstone, Red Cross home-based care facilitator Diana Gondwe says that food supplies for beneficiaries are irregular and insufficient because of lack of donor support.
"If I give people a kilo of beans today, and the next time I give them another kilo is in two or three months, how is that going to help them?" asks Diana. Frustrated by the lack of food supplies, Diana - a volunteer - says that she sometimes brings just a little bit of her own family's food: "Just a little bit - some sugar, cooking oil, maize flower, something. How can I visit them without anything? I'm lucky. I have a husband who works. Of course I have to help."
020827
IF020806
Copyright © 2002 - International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IFRC Contact.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from the Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .