There are two major themes running through this issue of Field Exchange. The first is a focus on Southern Africa and the programmatic challenges presented by HIV/AIDS and the second concerns infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IFE). An extended visit to South Africa over the summer by ENN co-director, Marie McGrath, offered the opportunity to visit several collaborative WFP programmes in Swaziland and Namibia and also to identify significant HIV-related research in the region. Setting the scene in Southern Africa, George Aelion of WFP describes

En 2006, le Rapport sur la santé dans le monde et la Journée mondiale de la santé ont été consacrés aux personnels de santé. La création par l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) et d'autres partenaires de l'Alliance mondiale pour les personnels de santé ainsi que l'adoption par l'Assemblée mondiale de la Santé de résolutions appelant à s'attaquer à la crise laissent augurer d'une meilleure reconnaissance du rôle vital que jouent les personnels dans les systèmes de santé. Cinquante-sept

You give us all the same things, but we are not all the same.

The response to the earthquake and tsunamis that struck on 26 December 2004 has been a defining period for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. As soon as the full impact of the disaster became known, it was clear that we - National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - must work together productively to provide relief

2.The breakdown of this assistance is as follows:

(1) For vulnerable people in the Republic of Malawi (200 million yen)

(2) For vulnerable people in the Republic of Sierra Leone (170 million yen)

On December 14, 2006, The President And Mrs. Bush Will Host The First-Ever White House Summit On Malaria In Washington, D.C. The White House Summit on Malaria will bring together international experts; corporations and foundations; African civic leaders; and voluntary, faith-based and non-profit organizations. The Summit's goals are to raise awareness of malaria and to mobilize a grassroots effort to save millions of lives in Africa. One American with just $10 can help save a life in Africa. A school, a church, or a team can help save a village. Together,

Southern Africa has nine of the ten highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world and more than 3.3 million orphans due to the virus; this combination is straining government budgets for health care and social services, food security, education, communities

Johannesburg - After nearly five years as the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, James Morris, who is also the Executive Director of WFP will undertake his final mission to the region from December 7-15.

When James Morris was appointed in 2002, poverty and deprivation were rife in southern Africa.

Back then, 14 million people across six countries needed humanitarian assistance, including massive amounts of food aid following one of the worst droughts in living memory.

At the time it became clear that the

The 2006/07 agricultural season in southern Africa is well underway. Over the past two months, significant rains were reported in several parts of the region, including southwestern Angola, northern Namibia, western Botswana, most parts of Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, and parts of South Africa.

In contrast, inadequate rainfall has delayed Repatriation of Angolan refugees in planting operations in other areas of the Zambia, 2006, UNHCR. sub-region, including parts of south- eastern Mozambique, where rainfall was between 0 - 25 percent of normal,

Summary and implications

Farming activity intensified in all regions as a result of improved rainfall during the last two weeks of November. Inputs are widely available, rainfall has been well distributed and crops are already emerging and in good condition, indicating a good start to the season. Many poor households are depending on the input subsidy program to purchase subsidized fertilizer and improved seed, and it is important for suppliers to ensure that the inputs are available in outlets so that farmers can plant and apply fertilizer on time. Demand for