Cyclical drought, food insecurity, cyclones, floods, disease outbreaks, and complex emergencies present significant challenges to vulnerable populations throughout the Southern Africa region. Between FY 2009 and FY 2018, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) provided humanitarian assistance in response to a range of natural andman-made disasters. Emergencies include droughts, floods, and resultant food insecurity across the region; cyclones in Madagascar and Mozambique; complex emergencies in Comoros, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe; locust outbreaks in Madagascar; disease outbreaks in Zimbabwe; earthquakes in Comoros and Malawi; and refugee returns in the region.
Between FY 2009 and FY 2018, USAID provided more than $1 billion to assist disaster-affected populations in Southern Africa. Of the total, USAID/FFP contributed approximately $814 million for emergency food and nutrition assistance, including U.S.-purchased food, locally and regionally purchased food, cash transfers for food, food vouchers, and related activities, while USAID/OFDA provided more than $200 million for agriculture, health, humanitarian coordination and information management, livelihoods, logistics, nutrition, protection, shelter and settlements, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance.
In the last decade, USAID responded to 53 disasters in Southern Africa, with flooding and drought representing the most frequent emergencies. Additionally, USAID deployed humanitarian teams to the region, including a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Zimbabwe in FY 2009 to respond to a cholera outbreak that generated significant humanitarian needs. USAID also activated a Washington, D.C.-based Response Management Team to support coordination and response efforts in Zimbabwe.