USAID Provides $476 Million to Support People of Somalia amid Drought

Washington: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional $476 million in critical humanitarian and development assistance to the people of Somalia as a historically unprecedented drought pushes more than 7 million people to the edge of starvation.
 
With this announcement, the US has provided nearly $707 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Somalia in FY 2022. 
 
"It is imperative that Somalia’s partners in the international community join the United States in increasing their contributions to the Somali people to avert significant loss of life in the midst of multiple consecutive failed rainy seasons and skyrocketing food and fuel prices due to Russia’s war on Ukraine," USAID said in a media release on Sunday.
USAID’s critical assistance comes as Somalia is experiencing four back-to-back drought seasons, and more than 200,000 people currently face an imminent risk of famine. 
 
A confluence of crises, including COVID-19, desert locust infestations, and continued recovery from previous droughts have grinded away at people’s livelihoods across the country. 
 
Meanwhile, climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of droughts globally.
 
Sunday’s announcement includes $461 million in humanitarian assistance that will allow USAID partners to urgently scale-up assistance to millions of people across Somalia. 
 
The funding also includes $15 million in development assistance, subject to congressional approval, in development assistance in Somalia to help farmers stay productive by equipping them with vouchers to obtain seeds and tools, maintaining and extending canals so they can water their crops, and providing community grants to improve and build storage and processing facilities.