With famine now declared in two regions of Southern Somalia and malnutrition rates at emergency levels in arid and semi-arid regions across the Horn of Africa, almost 720,000 children are at risk of death without urgent assistance. In total 2.23 million children in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are estimated to be acutely malnourished. “We are … Continued

The Ifo, Hagadera and Dagahaley Somali refugee camps in Dadaab, north-eastern Kenya, are overflowing with refugees from drought and conflict in neighbouring Somalia. Here, UNICEF Kenya’s Edita Nsubuga recounts the story of one adolescent refugee caught in the crisis that has afflicted the entire region. By Edita Nsubuga DADAAB, Kenya, 12 July 2011 – It … Continued

TURKANA DISTRICT, Kenya, 18 JULY 2011 – A typically warm Turkana welcome greeted UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake when he visited the village of Kapua in north-western Kenya this weekend. Report by Edita Nsubuga and Alicia Jones Women and men in traditional attire sang as they escorted him to the shade of the trees in … Continued

Along with hundreds of other recent arrivals from neighbouring Somalia, five-day-old Isha, her five siblings and their parents wait in a queue at the sprawling Dadaab refugee settlement here in north-eastern Kenya. Report by Kun Li, DADAAB, Kenya. VIDEO: 11 July 2011 – UNICEF’s Kun Li reports on a sharp increase in the number of … Continued

UNICEF yesterday airlifted emergency nutrition supplies and water-related equipment to Baidoa, Bay region in southern Somalia, as part of its life-saving interventions to assist drought-affected children in Somalia and more supplies are en-route. The most severe humanitarian emergency in the world has been declared in the Horn of Africa, with Somalia being the epicentre of … Continued

A deadly combination of drought, on-going conflict and escalating food prices has placed over 9 million people in need of life-saving aid in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Close to 2 million of those at risk are children under the age of five. The situation in the Horn of Africa is dire. Acute malnutrition rates in … Continued

DADAAB, Kenya, 11 July 2011 – It was a difficult decision, but in the end Hawa Issak decided to leave her home. The drought had destroyed her family’s livelihood, her husband had left her and she was pregnant. She did not see any future in southern Somalia’s Gedo Region, so she joined up with six … Continued

Hundreds of thousands of refugees are overwhelming camps in Dadaab, north-eastern Kenya, where they are seeking a haven from drought and conflict in neighbouring Somalia. Report by Chris Niles Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera camps in Dadaab were planned for 90,000 people and are now home to about 370,000. Taken together, the camps comprise the largest … Continued

The celebrations on the streets of Juba have already begun. School children waving flags and carrying banners have joined tribal warriors and soldiers in rehearsals for Saturday’s big celebrations. As South Sudan gets ready for becoming the world’s newest nation, the pride and excitement is visible on every face. Report by Simon Ingram However, the … Continued

At the end of this week, on 9 July, South Sudan will become an independent nation. Citizens of the newest country in the world, the people of Southern Sudan face immense challenges and immediate threats. Report by Rudina Vojvoda They also stand before a unique opportunity to build a country that is free of war, … Continued

  It breaks my heart to write to you today with an urgent appeal for the children of East Africa.  Nearly two million of them under the age of five are at risk of death and disease, because of a deadly combination of drought, conflict and escalating food prices. The situation in East Africa is … Continued

More than 10 million people across the Horn of Africa are in dire need of humanitarian assistance due to a deadly combination of drought, escalating food prices and armed conflict. Among the most vulnerable from this drought are 2 million children under the age of five in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. VIDEO: UNICEF’s Regional … Continued