By Alastair Leithead BBC, Maseru

The government of Lesotho, a small mountainous kingdom landlocked by South Africa and at the centre of a hunger crisis, has said the country is fighting its biggest ever challenge: the double tragedy of hunger and HIV/Aids.

The extent of the virus across southern Africa has hardened the impact of the hunger situation and made it a far deeper crisis than in the past.

	:	Southern Africa famine
In pictures: Southern Africa famine

It has had a huge impact on all the countries in southern Africa dealing with acute food shortages which is set to worsen in the New Year.

HIV/Aids is taking out entire generations of young and normally productive people.

Here in Lesotho, more than 31% of the population is thought to be HIV positive, one of the highest figures in the world.

Orphans

Drought is no stranger here and for centuries people have had coping strategies to protect themselves.

The numbers of those facing starvation are growing

But the strong family unit is breaking down.

The number of Aids orphans is increasing daily as is the number of families headed by children or by elderly grandparents.

The deputy prime minister of Lesotho, Lesao Lehohla said the country had never experienced this kind of threat and that HIV/Aids and hunger were two sides of the same coin.