IN a region already bearing the full brunt of the HIV/Aids pandemic, the current food crisis across Southern Africa is putting at risk the survival of an estimated six million children.

The six countries affected in the current crisis - Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi - have some of the highest rates of HIV/Aids in the world, with an average of one in every four people across the region infected with the virus.

It is killing some of the most productive members of society, including teachers, social service providers, farmers and parents and it is the millions of children left behind who are struggling to fend for themselves.

"The connection between Aids and hunger is profound," said David Bull, Unicef UK director.

"The ill-health associated with Aids reduces people's capacity to work on their own land or earn money to buy food, money for medicines for the sick means less is available for food.

"Families headed by grandmothers or older siblings, where Aids has taken the working generation, are especially vulnerable when hunger strikes a community.

"There is a direct link between food insecurity and HIV/Aids and it's the children who are most at risk of dying.

"To ensure their survival, we need to respond with more than food aid but also to build up communities' capacity to support children affected by HIV/Aids."

For those living with HIV/Aids, poor nutrition can lead to secondary infections and accelerate the development of Aids.

Children are pulled out of school to care for ailing parents or sent to work when their parents can no longer.

Thousands of children across the region have been orphaned by Aids.

Grandparents and foster parents who care for these children are facing greater demands on already scant resources.

And for children who are looking after younger siblings following the death of both parents from Aids, coping with food insecurity is especially difficult.

As they become increasingly desperate for food, teenage girls are at particular risk of being forced into prostitution to earn money for food which leaves them vulnerable to HIV infection.

In Swaziland, where approximately 10 per cent of households are now headed by children, Unicef is working with communities to create a sustainable structure to monitor and care for these children.

Children caring for younger siblings are encouraged to group together to perform tasks like cooking their food, collecting firewood and sharing childcare tasks under the supervision of local volunteers.

Unicef is seeking to expand its school feeding programmes to prevent the likelihood of children in families affected by HIV/Aids dropping out of school.

Keeping children, particularly girls, in school is not only necessary for their learning and development, but is one of the strongest protective strategies for reducing their vulnerability to HIV.