USAID committed to early action on Sahel drought, drawing from lessons from Horn response

"A year after the worst drought in 60 years sent 13.3 million people in the Horn of Africa into crisis, we are now facing a rising threat of crisis in the Sahel -- an arid belt that stretches from Senegal through Niger and Burkina Faso to Chad," Nancy Lindborg, head of democracy, conflict, and humanitarian assistance at USAID, writes in this post in Huffington Post's "The Blog." She notes, "Today, rising food prices, another failed rain, and conflict in Mali and Libya, means that between seven and 10 million people are at risk of sliding into crisis as we enter the lean season of the months ahead," and writes, "As we focus on the rising crisis in the Sahel, we are committed to responding immediately and acting on the most important lessons learned from the Horn response."

"I have spent the last year helping to lead the United States' response to the Horn of Africa drought," Lindborg continues, noting, "Through our early interventions, we were able to reach 4.6 million of the most vulnerable people, primarily women and children, with life-saving food." She concludes, "We know we can't stop droughts from happening, but we can and do commit ourselves to early action when we have early warning signs, with a focus on highly targeted programs that build resilience even as we meet urgent needs. ... That is why last week I announced $33 million in humanitarian relief, bringing up the total U.S. Government commitment to $270 million in 2011 and 2012" (3/2).