The British Red Cross has appealed to the public to help millions facing extreme hunger.
More than 20 million people living in East Africa and Yemen urgently need help, with the UN today saying the world faces the greatest humanitarian crisis since 1945.
Famine has already been declared in South Sudan, while millions more face the threat of famine across the region.
Complex factors including conflict and continuous drought have combined to create conditions where millions of people are not getting enough to eat.
The British Red Cross launched its East Africa Crisis Appeal this week and the public can also donate to its Yemen Crisis Appeal.
Areas of South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen are all affected.
- In South Sudan 5.5 million people are expected to be severely food insecure by July 2017
- In Kenya an estimated 2.7 million people are acutely food insecure, with 6 million people in urgent need of safe clean water
- In Ethiopia 5.6 million people are facing crisis and emergency food insecurity levels and are in need of urgent assistance
- In Somalia 6.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance¹, with 363,000 children under 5 acutely malnourished
- In Yemen 7 million people are severely food insecure
Mike Adamson, chief executive at the British Red Cross said: “This is a shocking situation with millions of people facing desperate hunger. The crisis is expected to worsen significantly over the coming weeks and months. We urgently need more funds to reach people.
“On the ground we’re seeing mothers who cannot feed their babies, children who are too hungry to go to school, and elderly people walking for hours a day to find water. Because of severe food and water shortages crops are failing and livestock are dying in huge numbers, and coupled with increasing food prices, people simply aren’t able to get enough to eat.
“The Red Cross has been responding to drought for months, but with the situation worsening and human suffering increasing, further funds are urgently needed.”
To support the British Red Cross East Africa Crisis Appeal visit www.redcross.org.uk/eastafrica or call 0300 023 0817
To support the British Red Cross Yemen Crisis Appeal visit www.redcross.org.uk/Yemen or call 0300 023 0816
Money raised from the appeal will go to support the work of the Red Cross providing emergency food and water, helping people recover their livelihoods, and protecting families against future crises.
(from a press release)
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