Following exceptionally high temperatures and a prolonged drought associated with the El Niño phenomenon in Botswana -- as in most parts of southern Africa -- the European Union is providing EUR 150 000 (BWP 2,190.000 ) in humanitarian funding to assist the most vulnerable and the families affected. Botswana has experienced dry spells and rainfall deficits in recent years, leading the government to declare a drought emergency in July 2023.

This EU funding will support the Botswana Red Cross society in delivering much needed assistance to over 5,000 people in Hukuntsi, Mabutsane, and the North-East District who are facing challenges in food security, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), as well as disruptions to their livelihoods.

The Botswana Red Cross society will use part of this funding to distribute cash grants to the families, to provide immediate relief to farmers experiencing financial difficulties due to crop failures, livestock losses, and lack of basic needs.

The society will also support at least 100 farming households with livestock feeding supplements, targeting households with livestock experiencing difficulties feeding their livestock.

The EU funding will also support community training of smallholder farmers on sustainable farming practices to mitigate the impacts of future droughts and other climate change-related risks.

The Botswana Red Cross society will also use this EU funding to buy and supply soap, provide water tanks and to rehabilitate water sources in the identified districts for human and livestock consumption and for cropping.

This funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, IFRC.

The 2022/23 crop season in Botswana experienced low and highly erratic rainfall, along with extended dry periods, severely impacting food and agricultural production, disrupting urban water supplies, and damaging the rural economy and socio-cultural structures. As a result, Botswana is experiencing significant chronic food insecurity, with over 10% of the population facing food and nutrition problems. This year marks the third consecutive year of severe drought, affecting arable agricultural land in a context where 70% of the rural population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods, primarily through rain-fed farming. 163,000 people have been categorised as food insecure in the country.

Background

The European Union together with its Member States is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and human-made crises.

Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. Headquartered in Brussels and with a global network of field offices, the EU assists to the most vulnerable people, based on humanitarian needs.

The European Commission has signed a EUR 8 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The contribution agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of EUR 8 million.