Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has asked USAID Administrator
Raj Shah to visit Ethiopia and Kenya to discuss key agricultural and food
security issues and demonstrate the United States  continuing stalwart
commitment to provide urgent life-saving aid to the populations affected
by the current famine in the Horn of Africa.

This delegation includes Administrator Shah, U.S. Ambassador to the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome Ertharin Cousin, and Acting
Special Representative for Global Food Security Jonathan Shrier.  The
delegation is traveling to Kenya and Ethiopia October 4-5.  They will meet
with government officials and civil society and private sector
representatives to discuss progress in the region and impediments to
securing unfettered humanitarian access to the at-risk populations in
Somalia and those in camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.  Since emergency
assistance alone cannot solve the underlying long-term problems, the
delegation will also visit programs that demonstrate how Feed the Future
<http://www.feedthefuture.gov/>  projects are supporting local efforts to
increase resilience among vulnerable populations.

On September 23, 2011 at the United Nations, Secretary Clinton announced
an additional contribution of approximately $42 million in humanitarian
assistance for the Horn of Africa, which includes $30 million for efforts
in Somalia.  The United States is the largest donor of humanitarian
assistance to the region, now providing approximately $650 million in
life-saving assistance to help nearly 4.6 million people in need.