USAID Provides Additional 87,910 Metric Tons of Emergency Food Aid

Addis Ababa: USAID has provided an additional 87,910 metric tons of emergency food aid, valued at approximately U.S. $50 million, to the Joint Emergency Operational Plan in response to the Ethiopian Government’s January 2009 appeal. This emergency food aid will provide a full ration to 1.18 million beneficiaries for four months in 72 woredas in the most severely impacted regions – Afar, Amhara, Oromiya, Somali, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples, and Tigray Regions and in Dire Dawa Administrative Council. 

Catholic Relief Services will manage the assistance, which will be implemented by a consortium of NGOs including CARE, Food for the Hungry International, Relief Society of Tigray, Save the Children-UK, Save the Children-US, and World Vision. 

This new donation, coupled with last month’s announcement of 65,410 metric tons of cereals, pulses, vegetable oil and blended food to the World Food Program for approximately two million beneficiaries for two months, brings the total U.S. assistance in response to the 2009 appeal to U.S. $100 million. 

The American people, through USAID, have a history of responding to the Government of Ethiopia’s appeals. In 2008, USAID contributed approximately U.S. $280 million in emergency food aid. In addition, since 2005, USAID has provided U.S. $150 million in food resources per year to the Ethiopian Government-led Productive Safety Net Program, supporting approximately 3 million beneficiaries in, Amhara, Oromiya, Somali, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples, and Tigray Regions for four months.