On Wednesday, July 20^th, 2011, the United Nations officially declared a famine in two regions in southern Somalia, southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle, making it the worst drought since 1991 – 1992. According to the UN, “Famine is declared when acute malnutrition rates among children exceed 30 per cent, more than two people per every 10,000 die per day, and people are not able to access food and other basic necessities, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).” Mark Bowden, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, goes on to say that “malnutrition rates in Somalia are currently the highest in the world, with peaks of 50 per cent in certain areas of the country’s south.”

(Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39086&Cr=Somali&Cr1=)

It is reported that approximately $300 million dollars is required in order to reverse the current situation.

Some of the organizations you can look to do find out about the situation, about aiding or to offer donations:

UN (United Nations) http://www.un.org

Human Concern International http://www.humanconcern.org/

World Health Organization http://www.who.int/en/

Oxfam International http://www.oxfam.org/

Save the Children http://www.savethechildren.org

The Humanitarian Coalition http://humanitariancoalition.ca/

These are only a few resources out of many to look into. You can always check news sources as well, for direction. A reminder to do your research and due diligence when finding a legitimate organization to donate to.

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