The UK has unveiled a £7-million aid package to cushion families in Southern Africa whose livelihoods have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, APA learnt here on Thursday.
The aid package is split into two parts – an emergency fund targeting over 750,000 people in Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Namibia and South Africa, and another value at £500,000 that seeks to provide income relief to families in five countries who have been affected by a decline in remittances from South Africa.
The £6.5 million emergency fund aims to assist vulnerable communities with food assistance, water and sanitation services, and protection against gender-based violence.
“The support the UK is providing will help families in crisis across Southern Africa – many of whom are female-led households – improve access to COVID-19 information and basic services, and protecting livelihoods,” UK Minister for Africa, James Duddridge, said in a statement.
He noted that for most communities across Southern Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic “is not only a health emergency – it is also damaging livelihoods and exacerbating food shortages.”
The UK assistance comes at a time when about 18 million are estimated to be facing hunger between now and the next harvest expected in March/April 2021.
The Southern Africa COVID-19 Remittance Fund seeks to provide income relief to more than 8,000 families in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe that have been affected by a drop in remittances from South Africa due to the negative effects of the pandemic.
Many families in Southern Africa rely on remittances from family members based in South Africa.
“UK action to support the flow of remittances will help those most vulnerable to the economic fallout of COVID-19 across Southern Africa to access the necessary money to meet their immediate needs,” Duddridge said.
An average of £15 will be provided to each family per month to help them meet needs such as food, rent and school fees.
The organisation managing the fund is working in partnership with financial service providers across the region to make sure that this money reaches those most in need as quickly as possible.
JN/APA