USAID Announces $17 Million in Food Aid and $8.3 Million in Non-Food Assistance to Ethiopia

April 20, 2006
No. 11/06

Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today that it will provide $17 million in food aid to Save the Children U.S. and the World Food Program (WFP) for their emergency operations in the Somali region of Ethiopia.  Additionally, USAID will be providing a contribution of $8.3 million in non-food assistance to NGOs for targeted nutritional, water, and sanitation programs in Ethiopia.

This is in addition to more than $31 million in emergency humanitarian food and non-food assistance already provided by the United States to Ethiopia since October 2005.  Approximately 250,000 MT of FY 2005 commodities donated by the U.S. are also being used to address the needs of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia this year.
 
This increase in funding will mitigate the effects of the crisis in the Horn of Africa. 

We urge other donor governments to act quickly to help alleviate the current suffering and to help prevent human catastrophe in the Horn of Africa.  Both food assistance and non-food assistance (medicines, immunizations, well rehabilitation and emergency livestock interventions) are urgently required.

The United States stands ready to contribute further in the coming months if the situation warrants it.

For more information about the U.S. Agency for International Development, visit our Web site at www.usaid.gov.

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