ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 14, 2009 -- Farming families across Ethiopia are facing hunger as three seasons of poor rains continue to wipe out harvests. Catholic Relief Services will bring food relief to more than 1 million Ethiopians affected by the ongoing drought through a $50 million, four-month emergency food assistance plan supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

"Once again, scores of Ethiopian farmers are expected to harvest little or nothing from their fields due to drought," explains Lane Bunkers, CRS' country representative in Ethiopia. "The emergency food being shipped from the United States will help the most-affected people to survive during these difficult times and reduce the need for families to sell important possessions such as livestock and farming tools to purchase food."

The Joint Emergency Operation Plan consortium, led by CRS, will transport and distribute 87,910 metric tons of emergency food rations to 1,186,359 Ethiopians identified by the government of Ethiopia as impacted most severely by the drought. Consortium partners include other international and local NGOs.

CRS also supports long-term agricultural and irrigation projects to increase the ability of Ethiopian communities to withstand disasters without requiring emergency assistance.

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About Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. For more information, please visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org.