United States Adds $2 Million to Help Drought-Affected Areas

February 1, 2006
No. 01/06

Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – In response to the drought in the southern zone of Somali region and the Borena and Bale zones of Oromiya, the United States, through the United States Agency for International Development, has added $2 million in funding to its existing, substantial food-assistance program. 

“I have visited areas already affected by this drought, and I know what a crucial factor time is in responding to the needs it creates.  I am happy that the U.S. is able to respond quickly and effectively with these additional funds,” said the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, Ambassador Vicki Huddleston.

The U.S. is already providing assistance for food distribution, nutrition interventions, measles vaccinations, and, through its $29.2 million Pastoralist Livelihood Initiative, help to both de-stock affected animals and protect breeding herds.  This additional support will allow USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance to provide an immediate response in areas of Ethiopia affected by this regional drought, combining it with all available resources to increase water, health, and nutrition interventions.

The current drought in the Horn of Africa has resulted in an urgent need to save lives and support livelihoods, with more than 1.5 million people living in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of Ethiopia affected. Populations in southern Somali and Oromiya regions have been severely affected by the failure of the October-December rains.  Additional rains are not expected until late March or early April; even then, long-term meteorological forecasts are predicting that they will be poor.

Immediate needs include water provision for affected communities, nutritional assessments and responses for badly affected children, food assistance, and health programs against diseases such as measles, a major killer in previous droughts in the area.

Pastoralist communities have been hard hit by loss of traditional livestock markets. Interventions are being supported to address pastoral livelihoods in both the short and long-term.  Pastoralists’ main coping mechanism in times of poor rainfall is migration to neighbouring areas, where rainfall (and therefore pasture and water) is more plentiful.  The current drought is affecting populations across the region, and, increasing the potential for conflict as pastoralists are moving out of traditional migration areas.  There have already been movements of herders and animals from Kenya and Somalia, for example, into Ethiopia.

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