What does a declaration of famine mean and what can we do to help?

Seven million people in Somalia could be at risk of famine amid East Africa's worst drought in decades.

The International Rescue Committee's Zeina Shuhaiber defines what the real "F" word is: famine.  Famines are not a new phenomenon, but they are preventable. So how are they still happening today? It’s time to take a closer look.   

Famine has been declared in South Sudan, and is looming in Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen. Here's what you need to know and how you can help.

Conflict and drought have brought millions of people in East Africa to the brink of starvation in what is shaping up to be the most severe humanitarian crisis of our time.

More than 14 million people are facing starvation in East Africa alone. Famines are not a new phenomenon, but they are preventable. It’s time to take a closer look at what you think you know about famine.

According to a recent survey by the International Rescue Committee and SocialSphere, Inc. very few Americans are aware of the near famine affecting 20 million people in Africa and the Middle East. But once they are informed, it immediately rises to a top global concern. In this video IRC president David Miliband visits refugee settlements in South Sudan and Uganda to hear the stories of people impacted by this crisis.

The international community’s response to famine prevention is in urgent need of reform as nearly one million people face famine conditions. Six countries are at highest risk of famine: Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Yemen, northeast Nigeria, and South Sudan. They host nearly 100 million people facing food insecurity – close to one-third of the global caseload. This represents a tripling in food insecurity compared to the ‘four famines’ risk in 2017. By late 2022, these states already hosted nearly one million people who were projected to slip into famine conditions and millions more on the brink, putting them at risk of starvation. Getting the global response right in these states could tip the scale away from catastrophe.

Across the world, hunger crises are disproportionately impacting children. Learn why children are especially vulnerable to famine and what the IRC is doing to help.