UNICEF provides life-saving emergency nutrition intervention to drought-affected communities in Kenya. At the paediatric ward in Lodwar District Hospital, the persistent rasping sound of babies coughing slashes through the stillness in the room. Admitted with a variety of different ailments, the toddlers and infants occupying beds at this unit in the northwest of Kenya all … Continued

  Gearing up to deliver ‘unprecedented quantities’ of aid in the Horn of Africa The eyes of the world are turned to the Horn of Africa, where a humanitarian disaster threatens the survival of millions. With famine declared in five areas in southern Somalia – and the United Nations warning that it could quickly spread … Continued

Habib Isack has left her home in Wajid, southern Somalia, for the first time – but not by choice. Drought killed her crops and her livestock. Sheer desperation drove her to take her children and set out on foot for Doolow, near the border with Ethiopia, in search of help. Report by Chris Niles VIDEO: … Continued

Immunisation reduces threat of disease outbreaks around refugee camps in Kenya. At Malayley on the outskirts of the massive Dadaab refugee settlement in Kenya’s North Eastern Province, screams pierce the air as children receive their measles vaccinations with the jab of a needle. Those next in line cling fearfully to their parents, one cry triggering … Continued

More than 80 per cent of the Somali refugees crossing into Kenya are women and children. Many of the families I see cueing at the Dadaab refugee reception centres are headed by mothers, grandmothers and older sisters. I often wonder where all the men have gone. This dearth of men is what makes Abdile all … Continued

History is repeating itself in the Horn of Africa. Images of severely malnourished children – and of people walking great distances across parched earth in search of food and water – haunt the public conscience. A combination of drought, conflict and soaring food prices is turning deadly for the region’s most vulnerable children and families. … Continued

Chris Tidey is a UNICEF communications officer presently supporting emergency relief efforts in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Today is his 30th birthday. Can you describe the situation of staff and volunteers – what are their days like, their work, their hours, etc? UNICEF staff here in Dadaab are bringing an incredible amount of … Continued

Today, I accompanied the UNICEF truck on the 2 hour drive to Liboi, about 10 km from the Somali border. Many refugees are using Liboi as a transit point before moving on to Dadaab, some 90km away. Report by Christopher Tidey, UNICEF Spokesperson in Kenya. UNICEF is working with local authorities to expand medical capacity … Continued

Driving the nearly 100 kilometre sand road from the Somali border to the refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya is like an otherworldly odyssey across an arid landscape seemingly devoid of life. The four-by-four bucks and swerves to avoid the lifeless bodies of animals whose bones have been bleached a brilliant white by the merciless sun. … Continued

Genete Mohammed carries her 18-month-old daughter Iman to the Belina Arba Health Post in drought-affected Fedis District in Eastern Ethiopia for the weekly UNICEF-supported outpatient therapeutic programme (OTP).  Field report by Indrias Getachew. BELINA ARBA, FEDIS, 25 July 2011 VIDEO: 11 July 2011 – UNICEF correspondent Chris Niles reports on UNICEF efforts to treat malnourished … Continued

Christopher Tidey at the Dadaab Camp. UNICEF’s Christopher Tidey is in Dadaab Camp in Kenya, reporting firsthand on the situation threatening the survival of 2.23 million children in the Horn of Africa. We received these notes from him today; you can follow him live on Twitter: @Chris_UNICEF. The road to Dadaab is bone dry, 62 … Continued

A tragedy of epic proportions is unfolding in the Horn of Africa, where hundreds of thousands of children are facing death due to starvation. The disastrous combination of a paralyzing drought, skyrocketing food prices and conflict has left over 11 million people battling hunger to survive. VIDEO: 21 July 2011 – UNICEF correspondent Chris Niles … Continued