Palms for Life Fund - Priority Countries

Swaziland

Population: 1,354,05
Gross National Income per capita: US$4.400
Infant mortality rate (per thousand): 66.71
Maternal mortality rate (per 100,000): 589
Literacy rate: 81.6%
Male 82.6%
Female 80.8% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy: 10 years
Education: Years compulsory - none. Attendance - 65% primary and 44% secondary

Swaziland

Swaziland's mountains and rainforests are home to a population burdened by a high rate of poverty — around 69 percent of its people live on less than 60 US cents per day.

The landlocked, South Africa-dependent country's economy struggles, in part because about 70 percent of its population engages in subsistence agriculture. Floods, droughts, and basic agricultural technologies not only restrict economic growth, but make food security a challenge.

Maize is the staple food of the Swazi. Maize production in the country has declined steadily, falling from 100,000 tons of maize harvested in 2000, to 70,000 tons on average in later years of the decade. In 2009, it was estimated that about 260,000 people may have faced a food deficit in the pre-harvest months—an enormous number for this miniscule country.

To see clearly the gravity of the situation, one need only ask a simple question: do most families have enough maize to eat? According to a 2003 Draft Report on Maize Marketing Policy, the answer is no. 85 percent of households which grow maize never have enough maize for the home, and have to buy from shops. High food prices continue to threaten food access for the poorest.

Compounding the problem is the high prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS. 26 percent of the population aged between 15 and 49 years is HIV positive—the highest rate in the world. On average, Swazi born in 2007 could expect to live for only about 45 years.

The impact of HIV/AIDS has been especially grim for Swazi children.

Over 80,000 children in the country are orphans. 15 percent of households in the country are headed by a child.

Widespread poverty, disease and agricultural instability place the Swazi in a highly vulnerable position.

In Swaziland, Palms for Life Fund will concentrate its efforts on food security, access to clean water and sanitation.

Sources:
CIA World Factbook
Inter Press Service News (Bringing Men on Board to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality, August 28, 2009)
Government of Swaziland (Maize Production in Swaziland, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives)
UNDP Human Development Report 2009
US Department of State (Background Note: Swaziland)
World Food Programme (Swaziland Overview)

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