Attachments
Overview
WFP delivered life-saving assistance to 123,989 people across ten districts. WFP continued to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities, and provided capacity strengthening to Government and partners, making progress towards Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero hunger) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and the five strategic outcomes of its five-year country strategic plan (2019-2024).
The food security situation in Lesotho deteriorated in 2022, with the number of food insecure people on the rise due to three consecutive years of drought, the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, the global food crisis, heavy rains during the planting season affecting production, and decreased income from livestock and related product sales. In response to the sharp deterioration in food security, WFP scaled up operations and provided food assistance and cash-based transfers to 58,000 people (52 percent women), including households headed by children, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities, in the three districts (Mokhotlong, Thaba-tseka, Berea) that recorded the highest food gaps.
WFP provided technical assistance to the Government in the planning and implementation of gender-responsive social protection programmes (school feeding and public works) that contribute to hunger eradication and long-term food and nutrition security. WFP worked with Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Social Development and Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee to identify urban vulnerability indicators and define targeting criteria and transfer mechanisms for urban response. WFP further strengthened beneficiary targeting systems through updating the urban National Information System for Social Assistance.
WFP also implemented a school feeding programme in collaboration with the Government, assisting 51,000 children with school meals in 2,500 preschools. WFP further strengthened government capacity to manage the home-grown school feeding programme which links smallholder farmers to schools and other markets.
WFP led and supported food security and nutrition assessments, including the monthly food security assessment and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis. The assessments supported geographic targeting and resource prioritization. In addition, WFP strengthened the capacities of cooperating partners and government ministries in programme monitoring, implementation, and service delivery through technical support and skills trainings.
WFP continued to leverage opportunities to protect livelihoods and build households' and communities’ adaptive capacities against shocks. To this end, WFP supported 15,000 people as part of the integrated resilience programmes in 21 project sites across Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek and Quthing districts. WFP also supported smallholder farmers who received training in marketing, post-harvest management, nutrition, and gender mainstreaming.
Partnerships were crucial to achieving meaningful impact across the sustainable development agenda. WFP strengthened partnerships with the Government, donors, local communities, the private sector, and UN agencies on food assistance, programme implementation and capacity strengthening, helping advance progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This included working with UNAIDS to mainstream food security and nutrition issues in HIV/AIDS response programmes and a financial service provider to apply an efficient and effective cash delivery mechanisms for food assistance to vulnerable populations. WFP also received support from traditional and private donors that played a critical role in enabling operations in Lesotho.