THE most poor and vulnerable children of East Africa are currently facing a triple threat: conflict, soaring food prices and failing harvests due to drought, which have left over two million children fearing for their lives.

Two emergencies are currently unfolding in this region as we watch from the UK. At the terribly overcrowded refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, children are arriving daily in a desperate attempt to find food and safety.

Perhaps even more worryingly, thousands of children also remain in drought-affected villages across the three countries. They are unseen by the world’s media, and are slowly falling prey to hunger and disease. A staggering two million children under five are acutely malnourished at this time. Almost 500,000 of them are suffering from imminent, life-threatening, severe acute malnutrition. The risk of diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea, vomiting and acute respiratory infections is also great.

With your help we can offer hope to these children.

UNICEF is the main provider of ready-to-use therapeutic food in all three countries, and is working to ensure women and children have access to this treatment, but we desperately need more funds in order to help us reach every child.

UNICEF urgently needs £20 million to increase its life-saving efforts in this escalating crisis.

To donate call 0800 3165353 or at visit unicef.org.uk/eastafrica DAVID BULL, executive director, UNICEF UK