URUPU, 24 December 2007 (IRIN) - When Mamanuel Rampai heard she would receive a free pig for Christmas a few years ago, purchased by an anonymous donor in the US through an aid group's online gift catalogue, she all but dismissed the present.

But the gift, a seven-month-old sow named Pinki, has since made her a role model for other pig farmers in her rural community. "I've learned so much about how to care for them, because they've become a livelihood," Rampai, 43, told IRIN.

Rampai lives in Turupu, one of Lesotho's

Funding Trends and Their Impact on Operations

As at 18 December 2007, WFP’s total needs to feed the 83 million people currently targeted for food assistance in 2007 are estimated to be over US$3.4 billion. As 2007 is coming to an end, country offices are now pre-positioning for 2008 requirements.

This appeal seeks CHF 25,489,509 (USD 22,799,203 or EUR 15,448,187) to fund the planned programmes that are to be implemented in 2008-2009.

Current context

The Southern Africa region faces enormous humanitarian challenges, which have eroded livelihood the coping mechanisms for most people in the region. The human and social cost of these disasters in terms of life and property loss as well as the disruption of communities and livelihood has placed a considerable strain on the social fabric of the affected areas and the ability to recover and further develop. Southern

FAO agricultural fairs help thousands of poor farm families in southern Africa

Mbabane, Swaziland - FAO has distributed over 1 000 tonnes of seeds, as well as fertilizer and tools, to more than 110 000 poor farmers in three southern African countries through a system of mobile trade fairs.

The agricultural inputs distributed in Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland total US$ 7 million and are enough to plant an estimated 50 000 hectares of crops.

"This is a significant contribution towards ensuring a successful upcoming harvest for tens of thousands of

Tebellong, 10 December 2007 - Despite the worst drought in 30 years, farmers in Lesotho have produced enough food to feed themselves and their families, and sell what's left over to WFP. Richard Lee visited a group of farmers who are looking forward to a brighter future thanks to the World Food Programme purchasing their food.

For the first time in her life, 52-year-old Maleetoane Khali has money. Not a lot but enough to send her older children to school and to buy previously unaffordable necessities like soap and salt.

More importantly, the money has made

ROME, le 10 décembre 2007 - Le Programme alimentaire mondial des Nations Unies (PAM) salue l'initiative de la saison : une campagne de levée de fonds en ligne, associant deux univers bien différents, celui des agriculteurs africains et celui de la communauté internationale des blogs culinaires. C'est aujourd'hui qu'a été lancée l'initiative "Menu for Hope" (le menu de l'espoir) sur l'un des blogs culinaires les plus en vogue de la Toile, Chez Pim (http://www.chezpim.com). Il s'agit d'une alliance originale entre les fins gourmets et une noble

MASERU, 3 December 2007 (PLUSNEWS) - The worst drought in 30 years, combined with one of the world's highest HIV rates, has left the mountain kingdom of Lesotho struggling to cope, but there are glimmers of hope as the government and aid agencies come up with innovative responses to the humanitarian crisis.

2007 began with normal rainfall, but then the rain stopped and drought set in. Severe food shortages followed, making it much harder for HIV-positive people on antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to obtain the proper nutrition that is vital to the success of their medication.