The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) announced on Thursday that it is expanding its assistance operations to feed 4.6 million people in Ethiopia in response to the country's pressing appeal for help in staving off hunger-related deaths.
"Ethiopia is facing a perfect storm with soaring food prices and a devastating drought," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran.
"We hear the government's plea, support it, and are moving to reach all we can," she said.
The WFP currently provides food aid for over 3 million people in the country and needs contributions to step up its program.
The agency faces a food shortfall of nearly 400,000 metric tons from July through December and must also repay over 30 million U.S. dollars in internal advances.
"The government of Ethiopia has been building innovative safety nets to ensure the most vulnerable are receiving targeted help," Sheeran said.
"But these programs are now overwhelmed, (and) we aim to help the government scale up quickly," she said.
To help 750,000 of the most vulnerable in Ethiopia, including children, pregnant women and those living with HIV virus, the WFP is assisting the African country in delivering emergency nutritional support.
Along with Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and Djibouti, Ethiopia is suffering the combined effects of soaring food prices and prolonged drought.
Source:Xinhua
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