Remarks by WFP Country Representative- Joint Press Conference between WFP and the EU

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. All protocol observed.

• As mentioned by Mr. Niyonzima, the drought situation in the country is very serious. WFP has identified 174,000 people (34 percent) who are food insecure due to the drought and require assistance. However, due to funding constraints we are currently only able to assist approximately 64,000.
• The European Commission’s generous contribution of M 24 million has allowed us to expand ongoing emergency drought assistance, to an additional 22,105 people, in the Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek, Quthing and Qacha’s Nek districts for a period of six months.
• WFP has implemented an innovative new way of providing assistance to the most vulnerable and worst affected people. In the past, WFP imported food and distributed this during emergency responses. However, the new model eliminates the importation of food.
• Instead, we are now providing 1,200 households with a combination of cash and locally procured in-kind food. We identify the most vulnerable households together with the Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Social Development and local communities.
• As per recommended by the Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee (LVAC) each household is provided with M756 per month. Of this amount, M404 is for food (commodity voucher) and M350 is cash via mobile money that can be used for other household requirements.
• So how it works in a nutshell, is that we establish a network of WFP contracted local retailer merchants who already operate in the targeted communities. On a monthly basis, the local retailers provide prescribed food commodities, that ensure a balanced and nutritious diet for households. The food received includes but is not limited to, maize meal, easy bake flour, eggs, milk, canned fish, weet-bix cereal, vegetables, fortified cooking oil, iodized salt. The retailers are paid post-delivery each month.
• With regards to the mobile money it is distributed monthly via Vodacom MPESA merchants within the targeted councils. The households were required to register for MPESA, with provided Vodacom sim cards. They can then visit Vodacom mobile money merchants, of which many contracted retailers have become, to collect their monthly entitlements. 
• The benefits of using this new operational model have bene proven in our 2019 six month (Jan-June) early response to the drought. The response was considered successful as the proportion of households which had acceptable food consumption increased drastically from 27.2 percent to 52.8 percent whilst the proportion of households with extreme food consumption gaps was drastically reduced from 73 percent to 27 percent. Consumption of vitamin A and protein rich foods, that are very important, also considerably improved.
• On a visit to Mohale’s Hoek, I was fortunate enough to meet an absolutely extraordinary young man who shared his amazing story with me. Now 20, he found himself in the undesirable role of breadwinner and head of his family’s household at 17 years old.  He was born in a small rural village, the eldest of five children but was forced to drop out of high school to take care of his siblings, one of whom has a disability, after both of his parents passed away.  He had been struggling to keep his family afloat by working as a shepherd, being paid a small stipend by neighbouring families for taking their livestock out to feed in the surrounding pastures. However, as the drought continued, the pastures waned, and work became difficult to find. Subsequently his younger brother was also forced to drop out of high school due to financial constraints and now also stays home trying to find any odd jobs to supplement the family’s income. He told me proudly that he is able to meet his food needs no longer has to use the social grant money to buy food and with the mobile money he receives he is now able to buy clothes and school uniforms for his siblings while also seeing to other household requirements.
• In addition to such powerful, inspiring life stories, the boost to the local economy as result of this model is enormous with a total of approximately M11 million being directly paid to local businesses during the 2019 early drought response. It was amazing to hear the numerous positive stories of growth from local retailers. As a result of the new model we had retailers who were able to build extensions to their shop buildings, buy vehicles and employ more people. Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of any economy and WFP is extremely proud to be contributing to their growth in especially because it leads to a trickle-down effect, positively impacting grassroot communities.
• We are confident that our current response is saving lives and changing lives and would like to thank the European Commission and all our donors for their very meaningful contributions. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the efforts of our government counterparts whom we work very closely with at all stages of our interventions.
• WFP remains committed to support the government during this national drought emergency. Furthermore, through WFP’s 2019-2024 Country Strategic Plan, we shall continue to support the country’s efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2- Zero Hunger.