USAID ENGINE Launch

Ambassador Donald Booth

Remarks as Prepared

It is my honor to represent the United States as we celebrate the launch of an important new program designed to improve the nutrition of women and children in Ethiopia. We are focusing our resources on nutrition because good nutrition is what enables a child to grow, learn, and rise out of poverty. Our new program is called “Empowering New Generations to Improve Nutrition and Economic opportunities,” or ENGINE.

USAID’s ENGINE program will provide nutrition and health services to 3.1 million children under the age of five, half a million pregnant and lactating women, and 3.2 million women of reproductive age. These services will be offered at the National level with support to the Federal Ministry of Health and in the four most populous regions of the country–the Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray regions. The ENGINE program will also provide nutrition services to 2.7 million households participating in agriculture and livelihood programs sponsored by USAID. In addition, ENGINE will provide nutrition and health services for women and children in the rural areas who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS with partial funding provided by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. We expect to allocate a total of $50.8 million over five years to ENGINE.

The design of the ENGINE program reflects our appreciation of the fact that nutrition is as much about food security as it is good health. Food security is not only about the quantity of food but also the quality of the diet and utilization of the food. ENGINE recognizes that undernutrition is a multi-faceted problem, which requires a multi-sectoral solution. As such, we are joining the efforts of the President’s initiatives known as Feed the Future and Global Health in pursuit of real food security that will improve the health and prosperity of Ethiopians.

In the past few years, Ethiopia has made great strides in the struggle to improve the nutritional status of children. According to the most recent Demographic and Health Study, stunting in children under the age of 5 was reduced from 52 percent in 2000 to 44 percent in 2010. In addition, the percentage of underweight children was reduced from 47 percent in 2000 to 29 percent in 2010. But Ethiopia can do better. We want to help the government achieve its human development goals, including the recognition that women and girls are essential to breaking the cycle of malnutrition.

ENGINE will complement the ongoing activities of the Government of Ethiopia, including the Health Sector Development Plan, the National Nutrition Program, the Accelerated Stunting Reduction Strategy, and the Agriculture Growth Program. For example, ENGINE will promote cooperation between the successful health extension worker program and the agriculture extension worker program to strengthen food security. This partnered focus on nutrition will support the government’s campaign to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

The ENGINE program is another illustration of the American commitment to the well-being of the Ethiopian people.

Thank you!

See Also

Remarks by Ambassador Booth ENGINE Launch 10-25-11 {PDF, 42KB]

Press Release ENGINE Launch 10-25-11 {PDF, 84KB]

USAID Ethiopia Nutrition

USAID Ethiopia Feed the Future

USAID Ethiopia Global Health

USAID Ethiopia PEPFAR