Addis Ababa — A two-year regional pastoralist program that aims to change how the development challenge in arid and semi-arid areas is addressed was launched on Monday.

The project will provide a bridge between emergency relief assistance and activities to promote economic development in pastoral areas.

The Enhanced Livelihoods in the Mardera Triangle (ELMT) project is being financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with CARE and a broad consortium of partners.

The project is part of USAID's broader Regional Enhanced Livelihoods in Pastoral Areas (RELPA) program with the goal to increase the self-reliance and resiliency of pastoralists in drought prone pastoral areas of Mandera Triangle, which includes Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, the agency said in a statement issued during the official launching ceremony of the project at the Rift Valley Hotel.

Glenn Andres, USAID Mission Director, and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development participated in the official ceremony.

The event also included participants from NGO consortium organizations, including CARE and Save US/UK, national partner organizations, and regional and federal level Government of Ethiopia officials.

The objective of the launch is to officially inform all delegates of the program in Ethiopia as well as to allow consortium members to share their proposed program activity plans, USAID said in the statement.