Horn of Africa
US aid for drought-stricken Horn of Africa

afrol.com, 2 August -  The U.S. Agency for International Development yesterday announced new projects totaling US$ 4.7 million as part of a continuing effort to reduce the suffering of the 20.6 million people in the Horn of Africa who are at-risk from the severe drought conditions in the region. 

"We are pleased with the progress we have made to date in containing the impact of the severe drought conditions in the Horn of Africa, said Leonard Rogers, a USAID official who just returned from the region. "The additional assistance we are announcing today will contribute to these efforts."

USAID announced the following new projects at a briefing at the State Department today: 

Ethiopia: USAID announced US$ 4.1 million in new projects for Ethiopia, where 10.8 million people are at-risk from the drought. These funds will go to international and non-governmental organizations to provide health care, emergency food supplies and safe water. This brings total emergency U.S. spending in Ethiopia this year to US$ 348 million. 

Kenya: USAID will provide US$ 539,000 to Catholic Relief Services to construct soil and water conservation structures. Kenya has 3.5 million people at-risk from the drought, and the U.S. government is responding by providing US$ 52.7 million in emergency aid. 

Djibouti: USAID is providing US$50,000 to Djibouti's National Office of Assistance to Refugees and Disasters to improve its ability to manage the emergency water supply. Djibouti has 150,000 people at-risk from drought, and the U.S. has provided US$5 million in assistance. 

These additional announcements bring total U.S. emergency assistance in the Horn of Africa to US$ 575.6 million this fiscal year, in food and non-food assistance. 

Leonard Rogers is USAID's deputy assistant administrator for the Bureau for Humanitarian Response. He just returned from a three-week trip to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya and Sudan. 

The U.S. Agency for International Development is the U.S. government agency that provides development and humanitarian assistance worldwide.

Source: USAID

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