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USAID Provides $26 Million in Drought Assistance to Kenya

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2006
0411-06-030
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov

NAIROBI, KENYA - Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced that it will provide $24 million in new emergency food assistance to drought-stricken Kenya through the World Food Program (WFP), and an additional $2 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for water and sanitation, and health and nutritional programming in the region.

USAID's contribution will provide 24,000 metric tons (MT) valued at $18 million to WFP's Drought Emergency Operation, and 9,750 MT valued at $7 million to WFP's Refugee Operation. These contributions of whole and processed food grains, peas, and vegetable oil will assist as many as 3.5 million struggling farmers and herders. With this contribution, the U.S. has provided Kenya almost 100,000 MT of emergency food assistance valued at approximately $64 million and nearly $1.8 million in emergency non-food assistance in response to the drought in the country since October 2005.

The pastoral drought within the Greater Horn of Africa is particularly serious for approximately 7 million farmers and herders found in an arid region which connects Northeastern Kenya, Southern Somalia, Southern Ethiopia and parts of Djibouti. As a result of the drought conditions over the past few years, herders have lost tens of thousands of goats, sheep, cattle and even camels. Entire communities have been displaced from their homes and normal herding areas in search of food and water, and malnutrition is surpassing crisis levels. Rainfall is predicted to be lower than the annual average in the coming months.

The U.S. Government commends the Government of Kenya for their assistance in the delivery of aid and for their significant food aid contributions to the WFP operation.

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.

USAID will continue to monitor the situation in Kenya and will provide updates as necessary.

For more information about the U.S. Agency for International Development, visit our Web site at http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/horn/

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

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