The EU Allocates €150,000 to Activate Early Action Protocol in Response to Drought Forecasts in Lesotho
The EU Allocates €150,000 to Activate Early Action Protocol in Response to Drought Forecasts in Lesotho
2 October 2026– In response to forecasts of below-normal rainfall during the October–December 2026 period and increasing food security risks across Lesotho, the European Union (EU) is providing €150,000 in humanitarian aid funding to help vulnerable families prepare for the potential impacts of drought.
The outlook is associated with a strong El Niño event expected to peak between late 2026 and early 2027, overlapping with Lesotho’s main planting and crop-growing season. The six-month project will run through March 2027, with anticipatory actions beginning ahead of the expected impacts of reduced rainfall.
The EU funding will bolster the efforts of the Lesotho Red Cross Society to provide much-needed assistance to vulnerable families. The response will combine the dissemination of last-mile early warning messages through public gatherings, community structures, community radio stations and social media platforms with multipurpose cash assistance for vulnerable families in two priority districts.
The districts were prioritised based on vulnerability, anticipated drought impacts, food insecurity and findings from relevant risk and needs assessments. Initial assessments conducted with partners will inform targeted response efforts, ensuring assistance reaches communities with the greatest identified needs.
The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Lesotho is facing worsening food insecurity as recurrent floods and droughts continue to disrupt agriculture, damage livelihoods and deepen existing vulnerabilities.
An estimated 311,000 people—around one in five people in Lesotho—are projected to face food insecurity between October 2026 and March 2027, according to the Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee (LVAC). Seven of the ten assessed districts are expected to experience IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) food insecurity. After three years of compounding climatic shocks, the Government of Lesotho and humanitarian partners are taking early action to protect food access and prevent another poor season from further worsening food insecurity before conditions deteriorate.
Background
The EU and its Member States are amongst the world’s leading donors 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 man-made crises.
Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department, the EU helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.
The European Commission has signed a €16 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF).
The DREF 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. The IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can be replenished by the donors.
For further information, please contact:
Peter Biro, Regional Information Officer for the Great Lakes, East & Southern Africa, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO): peter.biro@echofield.eu