A new type of disaster is consuming southern Africa. The consequence of HIV/AIDS interacting with food shortages, poverty and vulnerability, it is eroding the social fabric and slowly but surely overwhelming the region.

Some forcasts cuggest that life expectancy could fall below 25 within decades, with a loss of 30 per cent of the workforce. Concerted intervention is vital.

Life is becoming unsustainable. Poor and worsening access to health care, the accelerated spread of tuberculosis, malaria and other disease, a widespread shortage of safe water and sanitation, uncontrolled urbanisation and ineffective agriculture are among the aggravating factors.

A rapid slide into destitution is underway, which triggers further spread of HIV and ever greater vulnerability to common disease and disaster. Above all, efforts to prevent new HIV infection are failing to have major impact.

After playing a major role in averting a wide-scale southern African famine, the International Federation launched a new appeal on May 28 to better respond to the emerging challenges. The appeal for more than $10 million is to strengthen Red Cross national society operations in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. With the focus on integrated community care, programmes will cover nutrition, health, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS prevention and economic self-reliance.

The Federation's one-year Southern Africa Food Security Operation is now nearing the end of its planned duration, and the appeal will allow the Federation to transform short-term emergency relief into longer-term programmes. Information regarding this operation (appeal, documents etc) can be found on this page.