United States Provides Food to Djiboutians Affected by Drought

Officials gather in Djibouti to mark the food aid ceremony.
Officials gather in Djibouti to mark the food aid ceremony.
USAID/Djibouti

For Immediate Release

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The U.S. Government has donated food aid to benefit rural Djiboutians who have been affected by the chronic drought in this arid country. The $2.5 million worth food contribution will be distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP).  This donation is in response to the Djibouti government's drought appeal and will benefit approximately 70,000 rural residents during the current dry season. 

The food donation consisted of 800 metric tons of wheat flour, 590 metric tons of sorghum, 128.5 metric tons of pulses, 100 metric tons of vegetable oil, and 139.5 metric tons of wheat soya blend. 

The handover ceremony was attended by the U.S. Embassy, Djibouti Charge, Paul Pometto; Acting USAID Representative, Mark Mitchell; the Executive Secretary of Djibouti National Assistance Office for Refugees and Disaster Stricken People; Mr. Ibrahim Soubaneh; and Mr. Mario Touchette, the WFP representative of WFP.

Over the past six years, USAID has assisted an average of 70,000 rural citizens each year with $15.1 million in food aid.  The U.S. Government works closely with the Government of Djibouti to address food insecurity in a number of ways.  From 2006 to 2011, USAID helped reduce the fatality rate of severely malnourished children from 20% to 0.2%.  In addition, USAID funds the Famine Early Warning System, FEWSNET, which monitors the food situation in the country and alerts the Government of Djibouti and the donor community when there is greater food insecurity.