Addis Abeba — The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), have provided an additional $91 million in emergency food aid and $21 million in emergency humanitarian assistance.

According to press statement from the US embassy in Addis Ababa , the donation was in response to Ethiopian government's revised June 2008 Humanitarian Requirement Report.

This new donation coupled with last month's announcement of $80 million in emergency assistance brings the total US assistance in response to the drought to nearby $200.

"The donations have come in response to continuing humanitarian needs in Ethiopia, where poor end erratic rainfall distribution, high food prices, ongoing conflict, arid limited humanitarian access have negatively impacted food, water, and pasture availability, resulting in increased malnutrition rates, food and water shortage, and heavy loss of livestock," the statement said.

USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance's (USAID/OFDA) total $21 million contribution includes more than $5 million to non-governmental organization (NGO) partners CHF, International Rescue Committee, Merlin, and Samaritan's Purse for water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions in Ethiopia, including Somali Region, benefiting nearly 1 million people, the statement noted.

It said the assistance also includes $5.8 million provided to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the procurement of an additional 640 metric tons of ready-to-use therapeutic Plumpy Nut supplies, which will treat an estimated 64,000 severely acutely malnourished children.

The assistance will be complemented by water, sanitation, and hygiene activities in therapeutic feeding and outpatient therapeutic centers, the statement added.

USAID/OFDA has contributed $3 million to NGO partner GOAL for rapid nutrition interventions in affected areas, including the procurement of ready-to-use therapeutic food. USAID/OPDA has also provided nearly $1.5 million to NOD partner Concern to support emergency Ministry of Health interventions including community-based management of acutely malnutrition In Amhara, Oromiya, Tigray, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) regions.

The assistance will benefit more than 50,000 acutely malnourished children (both severe and moderate) and pregnant and lactating mothers.

The donation also includes $500,000 provided to NOD international Medical Corps to expand the emergency nutrition and health response in Oromiya and SNNP and $800,000 to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency to support community therapeutic care and nutrition education programs in Somali Region.

USAID/OFDA has also provided $1 million to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization to distribute seeds to drought-affected farmers In Amhara Region, benefiting more than 550,000 farmers.

"To date in FY 2008, USAID's Office of Food for Peace has provided more than $400 million in food aid to Ethiopia and USAID/OFDA has provided more than $31 million for humanitarian Interventions targeting affected populations In Amhara Oromiya, Tigray, Somali, and SNNP regions," the statement said.