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<p>DFID has been following the evolution of the drought and its impact since the middle
of 2015, working with the Government of Ethiopia, the UN system and other donors to
compile and assess information on rainfall, production and food and non-food needs.
On December 11th the Government and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) released a Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) which assessed
that 10.2 million people would need emergency food assistance in the first half of
2016 due to the effects of the drought. This is on top of the 8 million Ethiopians
who are chronically food insecure, and who already receive multi-year support through
the Government’s rural public works programme. 5.8 million people require assistance
obtaining clean water, health and sanitation; and a projected 400,000 children will
require treatment for severe malnutrition.</p><p>The UK Government has provided one
of the earliest and largest packages of assistance to tackle the effects of the drought.
In July, DFID provided £45 million to the response, which provided food to 2.3 million
people; nutritional support to 258,000 severely malnourished children; and assistance
to water, sanitation and health needs of the drought-affected communities.</p>
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