Mobilizing Internationally for Somalia

Famines are rare, but severe drought, food shortages, and sky-rocketing food prices have plunged Somalia into a crisis that puts millions of human lives at risk of starvation.  Young children are especially vulnerable .

It's estimated that 11.3 million people need humanitarian aid as food prices grow and supply dwindles in the drought-ridden region where Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya meet, the Associated Press reports.

Here are some organizations stepping up to provide emergency relief:

• UNHCR seeks $136.3 million in aid and suggests donations such as $7, for therapeutic food for a malnourished child.
• The British Red Cross and The Kenya Red Cross will accept donations online or through mail to first mitigate the crisis and see the people through restoring their livelihoods.
• The World Food Programme is appealing for $342 million to feed 11.3 million people in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. The organization plans to airlift operations to distribute high energy biscuits and nutritious supplementary foods.
• Oxfam, in conjunction with Save The Children, is making appeals for $144 million. Any amount is welcome, but the Oxfam site suggests $50 to provide 200 people a day's supply of clean water or $100 to feed a family of six more than two weeks.
• The International Rescue Committee is accepting donations that will provide medical screenings, expand water-supply systems and offer help for pregnant women.
• The ELCA World Hunger Relief is accepting donations to provide immediate aid to refugee camps in the Horn of Africa. 100% of donations will be used for regional relief, including filling a food distribution gap by providing enriched porridge to children and the elderly who are too weak to eat dry food.
• Action Aid will help deliver emergency supplies of food and water, and provide support, ensuring people don't become reliant on food aid.
• The U.N. Children's Fund is tackling crisis conditions faced by 2 million currently malnourished children.
• International Medical Corps' is accepting donations as it ships food and oil to four refugee camps. The Corps will also construct additional latrines and bathing areas.

Kids in Need of Desks

Kids in Malawi have studied for years in schools that lack such basic equipment as desks.  Students have been learning while sitting on concrete or dirt floors.  Unicef has taken the lead in addressing the problem and has helped to create jobs for craftsmen at the same time.

The program, Kids In Need of Desks (KIND), recently furnished Malawi's Chimwala primary school which serves 3,000 students. The goal is to provide 46,000 school desks in classrooms around the nation. Education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty. It helps lay the groundwork for survival and success that will continue for generations

Sub-Sahara Africa faces a myriad of crises in education.  Forty-five million children are not able to attend school at all.  In Malawi 80% of kids sit in classrooms without basics like desks.  Education is a proven strategy in lifting lives from poverty and providing the tools for success in adulthood.

You can provide a child in Malawi with a desk for school by clicking this link.