Swaziland: Strengthening national and local resilience to disaster risks - project brief

According to the project brief, Swaziland is experiencing a new humanitarian crisis resulting from the unrelenting onslaught of HIV and AIDS, deepening food insecurity due to erratic rainfall extremes, poverty and the declining capacity of national institutions to effectively provide adequate social services.

Consequently, the resilience and coping mechanisms of households continue to be negatively affected by a number of factors, including erratic climatic conditions induced by climate change, economic shocks, the erosion of household assets and increased morbidity and mortality levels due to HIV/AIDS. The process of sustained development is being interrupted by external shocks especially the cyclic droughts and floods that lead to a continuous fall of social indicators with institutions increasingly unable to respond effectively.