US provides $114m in humanitarian aid to Horn of Africa, including Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, April 7, 2022 (FBC) – The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing nearly $114 million in additional humanitarian aid to meet the needs of people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, affected by drought.

The region has faced two straight years of inadequate rainfall to support basic water, agriculture and livestock needs, the impact of which is devastating for a population heavily dependent on crops and livestock for food and livelihoods.

In Ethiopia, this support will provide lifesaving food assistance and improved access to safe water, as well as medical supplies, support for mobile health units, and training for community health workers.

In total, more than 20 million people across the region are projected to need emergency food assistance this year, a 70 percent increase from the devastating drought in 2016-2017, said the statement issued by USAID.

The United States is the single largest donor of humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, providing nearly $161 million across the Horn of Africa since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2022.

The agency also called on other donors to follow suit in scaling up their assistance to respond to humanitarian needs triggered by the worsening drought.