Tuesday September 5, 2017'
Women carry water back to their homes in drought-hit Aydora, Ethiopia. The country is facing its third straight year of drought. (Aida Muluneh for The Washington Post)
Nairobi (HOL) - The heads of three UN food agencies have made a joint appeal to the international community to respond to the drought in Eastern Ethiopia.
David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the world Food and Agricultural Organizations (FAO), and Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) concluded their four day trip to the drought affected regions,
Mr. Beasley thanked the Ethiopian government for their rapid response.
"We need to be grateful to what the Ethiopian government has been able to achieve working with donors," said Beasley.
Last week, The United States announced that it will provide an additional $91 million in humanitarian aid for Ethiopia to fend off a third straight year of drought.
The UN Agriculture agency says that after three consecutive years of failed rains, nearly 8.5 million people – one in 12 people – are now suffering from hunger; of these, 3.3 million people live in Somali Region.