Catholic Relief Services Receives $100,000 Grant to Fight Famine in Ethiopia

Catholic Relief Services
Tuesday, 29 April 2003

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) received the first installment of a $100,000 donation from the Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA) for relief efforts in Ethiopia, where more than 11 million are suffering from severe food shortages. CRS was chosen as ESFNA's partner because of the agency's long and respected history in Ethiopia and because of its comprehensive response to the current hunger crisis.

"Both CRS and ESFNA have a vested interest in combating hunger in Ethiopia," said Behailu Assefa, ESFNA's president. "With CRS' professionalism, responsiveness, and efforts to battle poverty in Ethiopia, we can do much to help those who are suffering."

Representatives of ESFNA presented a check to Executive Director Ken Hackett during a ceremony at CRS' world headquarters in Baltimore. "We are honored and humbled to have been chosen by ESFNA to help their countrymen in this time of need," said Hackett, who traveled to Ethiopia in March with a delegation of humanitarian organization executives to assess emergency needs.

Sustained drought has wiped out most of Ethiopia's crops and livestock, leaving many in the country dependent on food assistance for survival. ESFNA began its campaign to assist fellow Ethiopians in February 2003, seeking an organization through which it could support the delivery of food, medicine and other long-term relief supplies needed to prevent a massive humanitarian catastrophe. The organization plans to continue its fundraising efforts throughout the year.

CRS is responding to the current hunger crisis in cooperation with the local church and other partners, distributing food and providing medical and agricultural supplies to the most vulnerable—including pregnant and lactating women, children, the elderly and the mentally ill. The agency is also focusing on longer term food security issues by providing agricultural training, as well as education and income-generation projects.

CRS has worked in Ethiopia since 1958 and has been a part of the Joint Relief Partnership, which delivered more than 1.5 million metric tons of food aid from 1984–1996, reaching more than nine million drought-affected people.

The Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America is a nonprofit organization founded in 1984 to promote amateur soccer and cultural events within the Ethiopian community in North America. Its goals include providing positive role models for youth and promoting goodwill between Ethiopian communities here. In addition to sporting events, the federation also conducts cultural activities to provide opportunities for Americans to learn more about Ethiopian culture and history.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org