UN appeals for $500m to fight hunger in Horn of Africa
Hawo Madey and her family lost two of their children to malnutrition
With famine in parts of Somalia, the United Nations has appealed for an additional $500 million in aid funding.
The UN says the drought in Horn of Africa means 31 countries need $7.9 billion for the year.
Valerie Amos, the United Nations Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, launched the mid-year review of the UN's 2011 humanitarian appeal in Geneva saying that the most worrying development is the intensifying drought.
"Our key concern is that there are persistent imbalances in funding among crises. The funding percentages of different appeals range from 29% to 60%. The least funded appeals are the regional appeal for West Africa and the appeals for Zimbabwe, Djbouti and Niger. Funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has overcome some gaps but more and better distributed funding from donors is needed."
Duration: 26″
UN requests more than $4 billion in humanitarian aid for the rest of this year
