Assistant to the Administrator Sonali Korde at a Press Conference in Ethiopia

Assistant Administrator Sonali Korde: Thank you, Ambassador [Ervin] Massinga, for that warm welcome. It is a privilege to be here in Ethiopia. Over the last few days, I had the opportunity to spend time in Addis and travel to the Afar and Tigray regions. My visit reflects the deep U.S. commitment to the people of Ethiopia. This commitment includes the emergency food assistance USAID is providing across the country.

Since resuming food assistance at the end of last year, the United States and our partners distributed food to 2.4 million people in January alone. In Afar, I visited a food distribution center in Berhale. There, USAID, WFP, and the community are working together to identify the most vulnerable people to ensure we are prioritizing reaching those most in need. I saw firsthand how we are using QR codes created for each household to help families receive the right amount of food to reflect the size of their family.

In Tigray, I went to Abergele, one of the most conflict and drought-affected areas in the region. While there, I visited a site run by Food for the Hungry and Catholic Relief Services as part of the Joint Emergency Operation Program. They have now completed four distributions of food to community members since December. Also in Tigray, I visited a hospital serving children and mothers in the community. In just six months, this facility provided life saving, emergency nutrition services to more than 3,000 severely malnourished children, with USAID and GOAL support.

I am grateful for the heroic work of the humanitarian workers and medical staff I met, and those working all across the country. I appreciate the efforts of WFP and the JEOP [Joint Emergency Operation Programme] to implement reforms to the distribution of food to ensure that it is reaching the most vulnerable. During my visit, I saw with my own eyes and with my own heart, the critical needs facing these communities. I heard of the stark challenges in the face of drought and as they seek to recover from years of conflict. I also heard from humanitarian colleagues about the continued challenges they face in reaching all areas of the country as conflict continues.

Despite the difference that USAID and our partners are making, more must be done. That is why today I'm announcing more than $80 million in additional humanitarian assistance from the American people to help communities affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis here in Ethiopia. This funding will support our trusted humanitarian partners already providing critical aid to the most vulnerable communities. It will also help fund agriculture inputs, like access to seeds to produce nutritious crops. And we will continue our support for gender-based violence prevention and response services.

With this funding, we will treat and prevent acute forms of malnutrition for more than 1.5 million children under five years of age. It will also help more than 600,000 pregnant and nursing mothers this year. This is vital given the significant nutrition needs I have witnessed on this trip, where I heard from mothers struggling to feed their children and themselves.

Additionally, USAID continues to support food security, health, and other programs. Through our overall efforts as USAID, we are working to reach at least 4.5 million people across eight regions of Ethiopia. We know that humanitarian needs in Ethiopia remain staggering because of the compounding effects of conflict, insecurity, drought, and flooding. The U.S. remains committed to delivering life-saving aid to all those in need across Ethiopia. But given the scale of needs, we can't do this alone. As the largest bilateral donor of humanitarian assistance to the country, we continue to call on others to join us in delivering desperately needed aid to help save lives.