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WFP's lean season assistance saves people from going to bed hungry
In Lesotho, many families go hungry during the lean season (between October and March). Maseribane from HaMojakisane Phatlalatsa in the district of Mokhotlong is 68 years old and receives WFP's drought emergency assistance. Before this support, her life was a daily struggle. She relies on selling home-brewed beer to feed her family which includes her five grandchildren. “The money I make is not enough to meet all the households requirements. I sell a beer for LSL 5 and when the market is good I make LSL 50 daily and I use the money to buy food,” explains Maseribane. When business is not good, she depends on her children for food. She has 9 children who are all struggling to make a living and some have left for neighbouring countries in search for jobs.
WFP's drought emergency response supports 3,075 vulnerable households from two most severely food insecure northern districts - Mokhotlong and Thaba-tseka. Each household received USD 54.75 per month (combination of cash and commodity vouchers). For Maseribane, the assistance has made a huge impact in her life and that of her grandkids as she no longer worries about where the next meal will come from. “I am so grateful for the WFP assistance because there is food and together with my grandkids, we are able to eat healthy meals every day. I am able to save the little that I make from the beer business for other household items” she explains.
Another receipient, Mapuleng added, “At times my kids and I would go to bed hungry because we had no food. I am grateful for the assistance from WFP because we now have enough food to feed my entire family”. She relied on odd jobs to feed her family of six children. In her neighbourhood, odd jobs were already hard to find and the situation was further exacerbated by COVID-19, so the assistance that she received from WFP was a lifeline for her family.