During the United Nations General Assembly High Level Week, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced more than $53 million in humanitarian assistance funding to respond to the impacts of droughts made worse by climate change in Angola, Kenya, and Madagascar.
USAID announced the additional support to help countries better adapt to and manage the impacts of climate change – such as unprecedented droughts in East Africa and other regions – through the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE).
This new funding will help communities in Angola, Kenya, and Madagascar by providing critical food and nutrition assistance, water, improved sanitation, and hygiene supplies. In Angola, this new funding will support vital food assistance, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and protection for the most vulnerable people. In Kenya, this assistance will also provide emergency healthcare, restore people's livelihoods, and rehabilitate crucial water sources so that communities can continue to have access to safe water in the likely event of future droughts due to climate change. In Madagascar, where climatic shocks – including the cumulative effects of cyclones and droughts – continue to worsen food and nutrition outcomes, this funding will include support for agriculture programs, emergency healthcare, and protection programs for the most vulnerable groups.
Climate change is contributing to more frequent and severe shocks around the world, making it harder for people to recover from disasters like drought and prepare for the next shock. This continued investment in helping countries respond to and better adapt to these impacts will help make them more resilient for the long-term. We call on other donors to join us in stepping up to provide immediate, generous assistance to respond to the impacts of climate change, including drought in countries across Africa.