Over 11 million people in east Africa are currently suffering from the worst drought in over sixty years. 29,000 children under the age of 5 have already perished in the last 90 days alone due to this terrible tragedy.  

Roughly half the entire Somali population stands in urgent need of assistance, yet, due to regional instability, aid has proven difficult to come by.  Thousands of families have streamed across the border into refugee camps established in places like Dabaab, Kenya.  The Dabaab camp, which was originally built to accommodate 90,000 people, must now serve over 387,000.  MSF International estimates that over half a million people will settle in and around this camp alone by the end of 2011.  The situation is dire - but not without hope. 
 

In March, members of the NikeTalk community came together to donate over $20,000 to help support disaster relief efforts in Japan.  Now, we are called upon to help those suffering amid this terrible hunger crisis in east Africa.  

Please join us in contributing to one of the world's most respected and responsible charities, Doctors Without Borders, as they work to provide supplies and medical care to those in need.  
 

With most media outlets preoccupied by the state of the US economy, it will be up to all of us to help spread awareness of this urgent and growing crisis.  

To maximize your impact, we hope you'll encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to follow your example.  

Even in these challenging times, we all have the resources to help ease suffering as millions of men, women, and children struggle for their very lives.  May we all prove worthy allies in their fight for survival.

Thank you so much for your support!

 
 

 

* NikeTalk members, please include your screen name in the comments section when you donate $10 or more in order to receive your thank you gift.  

Once you do so, you'll earn a special "badge" that appears next to your posts.  Three different badges are available: one for users who donate between $10 and $24, one for users who donate between $25 and $99, and one for users who donate over $100.