War, drought, and displacement is fueling the largest hunger crisis in decades, with more than 20 million people teetering on the edge of famine and starvation. Among them, 1.4 million children at severe risk of death without immediate help. In Yemen alone, a child dies every 10 minutes from preventable causes such as malnutrition and diarrhea. The U.N. has called it “the worst crisis since World War II.”
The unprecedented scale of this crisis requires an immediate and massive response. This is why International Medical Corps partnered with seven other U.S.-based international relief organizations—CARE, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children, and World Vision—to form the Global Emergency Response Coalition. The alliance ran a two-week appeal in July to raise awareness and funds to fight hunger and famine in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, and neighboring countries.
Corporate partners in the Global Emergency Response Coalition included BlackRock, Google, PepsiCo, Twitter, and Visa joined the campaign. The PepsiCo Foundation and BlackRock each generously matched donations up to $1 million.
George Clooney lent his voice to the campaign, recording the campaign’s official public service announcement, while supermodel Lily Donaldson also showed her support by recording an appeal following her recent trip to South Sudan with International Medical Corps. The Washington Post, CNN, NPR, ABC News, and PBS were just a few of the media outlets that covered the coalition and the massive food crisis.
Funds raised through the appeal will make it possible for International Medical Corps and our Global Emergency Response Coalition partners to deliver food, medical care, and other life-saving services to millions of malnourished children and families who do not know where their next meals are coming from.
To learn more about the campaign and how you can help, visit the Global Emergency Response Coalition website.
Learn more about International Medical Corps’ work responding to the hunger crisis:
Yemen • Nigeria • South Sudan • Horn of Africa