U.S.-funded Ethiopian abattoir hopes to help herders during drought.
JIJIGA, Ethiopia, Aug 30 (Reuters) – An abattoir located among herding communities in Ethiopia’s eastern Somali region, known more for droughts and famine than business opportunities, is an unusual stop for a U.S. aid administrator.
While at the abattoir, Green announced 12 countries that will benefit from Feed The Future investments in 2017, signaling that the program will survive proposed deep cuts to USAID’s budget this year.
The 12 countries are Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda.
Green said investments like the Jijinga slaughterhouse not only created markets for American businesses but helped communities out of poverty.
“This is a place where we see some of the benefits and the potential for Feed the Future,” Green added.
JESH Chief Executive Faisal Guhad said the abattoir had been open for a year but was forced to close for three months last year because of the drought.
“We’re now in the second month of starting again.” The facility employs about 108 people from the community and plans to increase hiring to 200, said Guhad.
In the Jijinga area, planting for the March to May rains, known as the belg, is already delayed, and aid workers say they have seen a growing number of women and children at food distribution centers.
The hunger crisis is predicted to worsen until the harvest begins in September.