|TOP|The European Union and humanitarian organisations, including World Vision, have responded to the failure of short rains during October and November 2005 in eastern parts of Ethiopia, which caused serious shortages of water and pasture in pastoral and semi-pastoral areas.

This drought resulted in crop failure and death of livestock, affecting more than two million people in the area.

A total of three World Vision Ethiopia operation areas are listed among the food aid needy districts, Assayita, Boset and Jeju. The total estimated needy population in these three districts is about 23,070 people.

The country appealed for food, health aid, water and environmental sanitation, agriculture and other components.

After receiving funding by the European Union, World Vision is now able to distribute food among the needy in Boset and Jeju operation areas as well as in two non-operation areas, Fentale and Arero while disaster mitigation efforts are being exerted in Assayita district.

|AD|Recently, a team of three World Vision Ethiopia communications staff visited one of the distribution centres located at a distance of 160 kilometers east of the capital Addis Ababa and witnessed that World Vision staff are busy, distributions are taking place as scheduled and without delay. Beneficiaries are also happy to receive the food.

Boset Area Development Program of World Vision Ethiopia is distributing relief food at different centers. Doni, a town (found in Boset operation area) is one of the nine centres where Boset ADP relief distribution takes place and is found between Adama and Jeju ADPs.

Doni is a centre where 3,702 people are affected by the drought and are receiving relief food. Among the beneficiaries in Doni distribution centre, 960 are mothers and children receiving additional nutritious food.

Receiving relief food at the centre, Kedija Hajihaji, a 40-year-old widow and mother of seven said, "This food saved our lives. We would have died if not for the relief food. The drought destroyed our crops. World Vision is giving pregnant and breast feeding mothers and young children nutritious food in addition to the wheat."