U.S. Donates $128 Million in Aid for Ethiopia’s Drought Crisis

The U.S. Agency for International Development said it will donate almost $128 million to support more than 10 million Ethiopians suffering from the country’s worst drought in half a century.

The funds will pay for food, water, malnutrition treatment, mobile health teams and seeds, Acting Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Thomas Staal told reporters in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on Friday.

Ethiopia needs $1.4 billion this year for the crisis precipitated by the El Nino weather system, about half of which has been received. USAID said it has given almost $705 million since October 2014, while Ethiopia’s government has contributed $381 million, according to Mitiku Kassa, the head of its disaster risk management commission.