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Humanitarian Assistance Program Overview

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OverviewProgram Description

 

Children in Malawi are measured to determine whether they are stunted, a sign of malnutrition.

Objective:   

USAID/Southern Africa houses two prominent USAID offices which help prevent and respond to humanitarian crisis. The objective of USAID’s Food for Peace (FFP) program is to use food aid resources to reduce food insecurity in vulnerable populations around the world. USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) is mandated to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and reduce the economic and social impact of disasters.

Food for Peace

Funded under Title II of Public Law 480 (P.L. 480), FFP manages the largest source of resources within the USG available to focus on the problem of food insecurity, with an annual global budget of about $1.7 billion. FFP’s main resource is food, and this food is used both to have an immediate impact – protecting lives and maintaining food consumption levels – while also contributing to longer-term impacts – enhancing community and household resilience to shocks, helping people build more durable and diverse livelihood bases, and enhancing the capabilities of individuals through improvements in health, nutrition and education.

USAID/SA’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP) supports both Development and Emergency programs in the Region.  As of 2012, FFP has seven Development Programs with one each in Malawi and Madagascar and four in Mozambique.  Funding for these Development programs is currently at approximately $240 million for the life of the programs, typically five years, or about $48 million annually.  In Zimbabwe, FFP is funding an Emergency program that is has annual funding of approximately $38 million.   Additionally, FFP has a global program called the Emergency Food Security Program that has been utilized in several Southern Africa countries. 

Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance

The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is the office within USAID responsible for facilitating and coordinating U.S. Government emergency assistance overseas. OFDA responds to all types of natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, floods, droughts, fires, pest infestations, and disease outbreaks. OFDA also provides assistance when lives or livelihoods are threatened by catastrophes such as civil conflict, acts of terrorism, or industrial accidents. In addition to emergency assistance, OFDA funds mitigation activities to reduce the impact of recurrent natural hazards and provides training to build local capacity for disaster management and response.

Several triggers are required before OFDA can respond to a crisis, these include:

  1. The host country must ask for, or be willing to accept, U.S. Government Assistance;
  2. The disaster is of such magnitude that it is beyond the host country’s ability to respond adequately; and
  3. It is in the interest of the U.S. Government to provide assistance.
Countries in southern Africa face cyclical drought, floods, and cyclones, as well as food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and prolonged complex emergencies. Through partners, USAID/OFDA’s Southern Africa Regional Office not only responds to urgent needs resulting from disasters, but also supports disaster risk reduction (DRR) programs to build the capacity of communities in order to prepare for and mitigate the effects of potential emergencies. The following includes currently active USAID/OFDA-funded programs.