The crisis in Africa is real.

16 million people are facing starvation as famine has gripped Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

More than 800,000 children under the age of five are severely malnourished and in urgent need of food, water and medical treatment.

What words of comfort would you have for Fatuma Abdille, who has so little food she has to choose which of her children to feed? What would you tell Fatumata Hassan, forced to walk 100 miles to search for food, water and sanctuary for her family?

"All we ask is for some help from the world, so we can be safe and survive," she says.

The aching famine is worsened by the risk of cholera, as thousands have been forced to drink dirty water. The World Health Organisation report that nearly 5.5 million people are at risk of cholera.

Together we can act to help avert this catastrophe.

£25 will provide a month of life-saving food to a hungry child. £100 will provide a clinic with supplies to treat a severely malnourished child. 

Don’t delay. Donate now to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s East Africa Crisis Appeal. Whatever you give will make a difference.