About the Emergency

On November 4, 2020, fighting broke out in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia between the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front and Ethiopian National Defense Forces. More than two million people have been displaced, and hundreds of thousands more are fleeing as the fighting continues to expand into the nearby Amhara and Afar regions. The conflict has left more than seven million people facing severe food insecurity in Tigray, Afar, and Amhara. In Tigray, 90 percent of the population is in need of aid. Up to 900,000 people are estimated to be facing famine-like conditions across the Tigray, Afar, and Amhara regions, with up to 700,000 of those in Tigray alone. Famine could occur in Tigray for the first time since the 1980s if conflict doesn’t end and humanitarian access does not improve.

The United States is the largest donor to the humanitarian response in Northern Ethiopia and remains committed to helping the people of Ethiopia. On March 1, 2021, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to lead the U.S. Government response efforts. This team of elite disaster experts is on the ground scaling up assistance and working with partners to provide life-saving assistance as security conditions and access allow. More information on the U.S. Government’s humanitarian response to the conflict in Northern Ethiopia can be found here.

How You Can Help

Donate

Send cash donations to reputable relief organizations working on the ground. They can make the most difference and save the most lives. Detailed information on how relief organizations use donations can be found at: GiveWell, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and the Better Business Bureau. Below are organizations responding in Northern Ethiopia.

Volunteer

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in four Americans volunteered for an organization at least once during the course of a year. However, there are a few things that would-be disaster volunteers should stop and consider before getting on a plane.