WFP has been providing support to vulnerable, food-insecure people in Swaziland since 2002 to help alleviate the impact of HIV/AIDS, drought and poverty. In May 2008, WFP began implementing a three-year country-specific Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO 106020). The aim of the PRRO is to improve food security, livelihoods and productive capacity of the most vulnerable households impacted by HIV/AIDS, poverty and natural disasters. In addition, various projects will help to build the Government’s capacity to manage food assistance interventions.
In May 2010, because of resource shortfalls, the Swaziland Government and WFP prioritized three projects for the remainder of the implementation of the PRRO. These are support to orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) in neighbourhood care points; support to OVC undergoing farming and life skills training through Food-for-Training; and support to patients in anti-retroviral, tuberculosis and prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes under Food by Prescription.
Relief activities under PRRO 106020 were suspended at the end of the lean season in April 2010 and handed over to the Swaziland Government. These included the provision of food rations to targeted households and schoolchildren affected by acute food shortages during the lean season (October - March) in the traditionally food-insecure areas of the Lowveld and Lubombo.
WFP’s response is determined by food security and vulnerability assessments such as the joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission and the annual national vulnerability and Community and Household Surveillance assessments conducted by the Swazi Vulnerability Assessment Committee.
WFP operations are focused on the chronically food-insecure areas of the Lowveld and Lubombo Plateau. With effect from July 2010, WFP began direct distribution of food commodities to its beneficiaries.
In 2011, WFP plans to reach an estimated 54,000 beneficiaries, including orphans and vulnerable children and beneficiaries under the Food by Prescription and CYDP programmes.
Read more on WFP Swaziland Operations Brief of April 201