Conflict, rapid population growth, limited government response capacity, and a variety of natural hazards— including cyclical drought, environmental degradation, and floods—have compounded humanitarian needs over the last decade in the East and Central Africa (ECA) region. Between FY 2010 and FY 2019, USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) and Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) provided assistance in response to a diverse range of humanitarian events, including complex emergencies in CAR, the DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, RoC, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan; drought and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa; disease outbreaks and flooding in multiple countries; and displacement crises across the region.
Between FY 2010 and FY 2019, USAID provided more than $15.1 billion to respond to disasters in the ECA region.
USAID/FFP emergency support included nearly $11.3 billion for food and nutrition assistance through U.S. in-kind food aid; local, regional, and international food procurement; cash transfers for food; food vouchers; specialized nutrition products; and related activities, such as asset-building assistance, livelihood support, and early-recovery agricultural assistance. USAID/OFDA assistance included nearly $3.9 billion for programs in agriculture and food security; economic recovery and market systems; health; humanitarian coordination and information management; logistics support and relief commodities; nutrition; protection; shelter and settlements; and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
USAID responded to 99 disasters in ECA during the last decade, providing life-saving assistance to people in need. USAID has frequently deployed humanitarian teams to the region, including four Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) responding to the complex emergency in South Sudan; an Ebola virus disease outbreak in the DRC; drought in Ethiopia; and a regional food security crisis in the Horn of Africa. USAID also activated related Washington, D.C.-based Response Management Teams to support coordination and emergency response efforts in affected countries.