new press release test
This should not throw an error.
Read MoreLife-Saving Aid Comes as Historic Drought, Fear of Famine Grips the Region Amid Global Food Security Crisis
An unprecedented drought in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia—part of a region known as the Horn of Africa—is pushing millions of people to the brink of starvation. More than 18 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, primarily as a result of the drought. In response, Administrator Samantha Power announced today that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing nearly $1.3 billion in additional critical humanitarian and development assistance to help stave off mass starvation and deaths. Many families have yet to fully recover from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the last regional drought in 2017, or the last Famine in Somalia in 2011.
Unlike in years past, today’s historic drought and hunger crisis is being exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The cost of food, fuel, and fertilizer has skyrocketed, threatening to drive up world hunger on an unprecedented scale, particularly in the Horn of Africa.
The region has experienced four consecutive drought seasons and a fifth is forecast for later this year, further extending the suffering of millions across the region who face the threat of starvation. USAID is urging other donors to join in scaling up assistance to save lives and alleviate suffering across the region.
Today’s announcement includes a nearly $1.18 billion surge in humanitarian assistance that will allow USAID partners to provide critical aid for millions of people across the region. This funding includes:
Today’s funding also includes $90 million, subject to congressional approval, in development assistance for the Horn of Africa region, specifically Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. With this additional funding, USAID will invest in activities such as scaling drought-tolerant crops, mitigating post-harvest loss and waste, and supporting social protection and safety nets.
This surge of assistance builds on USAID’s ongoing efforts to alleviate the suffering of millions of people across the Horn of Africa. In Fiscal Year 2022 alone, the United States is providing nearly $1.86 billion – the greatest share of all donor funding for this crisis to date by far. But, it will not be enough. The United States has stepped up to meet the majority of immediate funding gaps to save lives now, but we need other donors to step in behind us to help prevent significant loss of life, particularly in Somalia where the risk of famine is increasing, and to meet expected humanitarian needs well into 2023.
A portion of today’s funding for the Horn of Africa is included in the Ukraine supplemental and is part of the $2.76 billion in USAID assistance announced by President Joe Biden on June 27, 2022. It is immediately being programmed in FY 2022 to address the most dire impacts of the global food security crisis through direct food assistance and related health, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services in countries with high levels of acute food insecurity, reliance on Russian and Ukrainian imports, and vulnerability to price shocks.
This should not throw an error.
Read MoreThis is a test of the press release article type. Just confirming everything’s blessed.
Read Moreblah blah ablh
Read MoreSource: USAID Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a $15 million five-year extension under Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative, to…
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