Media CenterCRS Applauds U.S. Government for Steadfast Support In Ethiopia

Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) food aid program in drought-stricken Ethiopia just received more critical funding to extend its support of millions of Ethiopians facing severe food shortages. Provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Food for Peace program, through the generous support of the American people, CRS, along with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), is able to continue providing emergency food assistance to 4 million people through at least July 2016.

The $97 million in additional funding will help people most affected by the drought to weather the lean season, now expected to last until at least August. Some 10.2 million Ethiopians are in need of emergency food assistance as the El Niño weather phenomenon has created a devastating two-year drought in many areas.

Through the Joint Emergency Operations Program (JEOP), a CRS-led consortium of international and Ethiopian organizations, CRS works with the Government of Ethiopia to provide assistance to people in five regions of the country. This assistance is primarily in food commodities from the United States and is distributed to rural communities in Ethiopia to ensure that the most vulnerable people receive needed assistance in a timely manner. Funds are also being provided for early recovery activities once the drought ends.

Read the news release from USAID.

For more information on our policy recommendations, read El Niño and Its Human Toll: A Policy Brief.