THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD

Published purpose

December 2015 - As a result of a particularly strong El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean, Ethiopia is facing its worst food security crisis in thirty years. Failed rains in many areas of southern and eastern Ethiopia throughout 2015 have left more than 10 million people in need of emergency food assistance, a massive increase from 2.9 million people at the beginning of the year. Malnutrition rates also continue to rise with 350,000 children expected to require treatment for severe acute malnutrition in early 2016. In addition, access to safe water, particularly in rural areas, continues to decline, leading to widespread livestock deaths and the threat of outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera. Depending on events, the situation in Ethiopia is expected to remain critical until at least October 2016. With the support of Canada and other donors, the UN World Food Programme is meeting the emergency food needs of at least 6 million drought-affected Ethiopians, through direct general food distribution, cash / voucher programming, or other schemes (such as cash-for-work).