Additional Humanitarian Assistance for Ethiopia

Triggered by El Niño, the drought follows successive poor rainy seasons and has exceeded many people's ability to cope. This funding announcement will support USAID’s UN and NGO partners in providing humanitarian aid, including more than 6,000 metric tons of supplementary and therapeutic foods to help an estimated one million people suffering from moderate and severe acute malnutrition.

The new funding will also increase access to safe water and sanitation facilities and promote hygienic practices to drought-affected communities. USAID’s Mission Director in Ethiopia Leslie Reed announced the new funding in Addis Ababa during an event commemorating World Humanitarian Day

To get communities back on their feet, USAID partners are providing seeds to farmers and assistance to protect their livestock and other assets. They are also helping to train health workers, expand programs that address gender-based violence in drought-affected areas, and augment logistics capacities so that critical supplies get to people most in need.

These efforts will help Ethiopians meet immediate needs, protect development gains made, and complement long-term efforts to build resilience to future disasters.

With this announcement, the United States is providing nearly US$774 million since FY 2015 in humanitarian assistance and continues to be the single largest humanitarian donor to the people of Ethiopia.

USAID’s mission director in Ethiopia, Leslie Reed announced the new funding in Addis Ababa during an event commemorating World Humanitarian Day, which was designated by the United Nations in memory of the 22 UN and relief agency staff who lost their lives in a bombing in Baghdad 13 years ago.