maced: A Somali woman weeps for her dead child at Banadir hospital in Mogadishu, on July 21, 2011.&n
maced: A Somali woman weeps for her dead child at Banadir hospital in Mogadishu, on July 21, 2011. (Reuters/Feisal Omar) [x] “With East Africa facing its worst drought in 60 years, affecting more than 11 million people, the United Nations has declared a famine in the region for the first time in a generation. Overcrowded refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia are receiving some 3,000 new refugees every day, as families flee from famine-stricken and war-torn areas. The meager food and water that used to support millions in the Horn of Africa is disappearing rapidly, and families strong enough to flee for survival must travel up to a hundred miles, often on foot, hoping to make it to a refugee center, seeking food and aid. Many do not survive the trip. Officials warn that 800,000 children could die of malnutrition across the East African nations of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Kenya. “ Donate money through these organizations: UNICEF — money will help provide therapeutic treatment for women and children with severe malnutrition, access to clean drinking water and vaccinations to prevent deadly diseases like measles and polio (you can text “FOOD” to 864233 to donate $10 from the United States) International Medical Corps — provide food, water, hygiene, sanitation and mental health services to people in refugee camps in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya (you can text “AFRICA” to 80888 to donate $10 to the group’s drought relief response from the United States) International Rescue Committee — giving cash and other assistance to families whose livestock, pastures and farmland have been decimated and helping to repair boreholes and wells for those left behind in Somalia; establishing reception centers in Kenyan camps for newcomers to receive food, health screenings, and medical referrals; and bringing water and installing water-supply systems in three camps in Ethiopia, which serve 82,000 refugees. United Nations World Food Programme — plans to airlift high energy biscuits and highly nutritious supplementary foods for children and pregnant or nursing mothers into southern Somalia (to donate $10 from the United States, text “AID” to 27722; to donate $5 from Canada, text “RELIEF” to 45678; to donate £3 from the United Kingdom text “AID” to 70303) Oxfam — providing life-saving water, sanitation services, food and money. The organization aims to reach 3 million people, including 700,000 in Ethiopia, 1.3 million in Kenya, and 500,000 in Somalia Save the Children — feeding underweight children, providing life-saving medical treatment, and getting clean water to remote communities in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia (text “SURVIVE” to 20222 to donate $10 from the United States to Save the Children’s East Africa Drought and Food Crisis) others listed here -- source link