US Pledges Aid for Drought-Stricken Somali Refugees

July 20, 2011

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, left, speaks with the chairwoman of community effort to distribute food and clothes to new arrivals at Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya July 20, 2011

USAID director Rajiv Shah arrived in Kenya Wednesday morning for a day-long visit to refugee camps surrounding Dadaab, in Kenya's northeast. Dadaab, once a sleepy desert village, now plays host to more than 400,000 refugees, mostly from neighboring Somalia.

The influx of refugees has been near constant since the onset of conflict in Somalia, but has accelerated in recent months due to the extreme drought plaguing much of the region.

Shah visited the Ifo camp as many refugees, haggard after the long journey from Somalia, stood outside the gate, waiting for relief. After a tour with U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Scott Gration, Shah praised U.S. efforts, particularly through the Famine Early Warning System, in dealing with the food and water shortages.

"Because we have been collecting the data and taking very aggressive actions since about August and September of last year, we believe those efforts have effectively mitigated some of the challenging consequences of the drought," said Shah.

He also pointed to livestock vaccination programs and past World Food Program assistance as evidence of the United States' involvement in the east African crisis.