Program
Food for Peace
Addressing food security crises in Eastern and Central Africa
Program Description
The United States is the leading food aid donor in East and Central Africa (ECA). In FY 2007 ECA received 56% of the global Title II budget to implement humanitarian assistance and food security programs, reflecting the poor level of food security in the region. During the past year, FFP provided and managed 1.25 million metric tons of food aid across the region, enabling more than to 19 million people to survive and improve their livelihoods.
Photo: WFP – Peter Smerdon
WFP food distribution in El Berde, Bakool region, Somalia.
The Regional Office of Food for Peace currently serves 13 countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar. 94% of the food aid is used to address emergencies such as direct feeding of refugees, internally displaced and/or vulnerable populations in these countries, with the remainder 6% focused on development programs that support and enhance the livelihoods of vulnerable populations. These programs include: agriculture, health and nutrition, education, income generation, and support to people living with HIV/AIDS.
The region’s needs are enormous due to pervasive/recurrent natural and man-made disasters such as droughts, floods, and conflict, as well as underlying and cross-cutting issues such as poor governance and HIV/AIDS. In FY 2007, nearly 94% of Title II resources were used to address emergencies. Strong partnerships with USAID bilateral missions, WFP, NGOs, and other donors have helped in forestalling serious famine conditions in the region, saving countless lives in the Horn of Africa drought. Nearly $300 million in food assistance was provided to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti alone, where six million pastoralists and agro-pastoralists lost much of their crops, livestock and livelihoods and were in need of emergency assistance. Following this catastrophe, the Regional FFP Office was instrumental in forming the East Africa Pastoralist Working Group, in collaboration with other USAID/East Africa offices and the USAID missions in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, and was awarded a $20 million grant from the Famine Prevention Fund to address these complex issues in the Horn.
The World Food Program, WFP, is FFP’s main partner in implementing emergency programs in the ECA region. FFP also maintains a small portfolio of development programs, which include the monetization* of Title II commodities to support development-related activities. These programs are implemented by Cooperating Sponsors (CS), primarily international NGOs. In Ethiopia, seven CSs are implementing an innovative development-relief program that addresses the root causes of food insecurity to cushion against future shocks. The experience and expertise these organizations bring to the international arena of food aid ensures that food goes to those who genuinely need it and is used to help the poor improve their circumstances and escape chronic hunger.
*Under monetization, food aid commodities are sold through an open auction and the funds raised are used to implement food security projects in the country. For detailed report on monetization in the region, please refer to our FY 2006 Annual Report.